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i;      M     Jtl»l»S(JN 


Jrk 


Orf}ai>  of  tl?e  priesthood  Quorums  apd  tl?e  Your><}  /I\ei>'8 

/Mutual   Improvement  /Usoeiatiops  of  tl?f  <$urel? 

of  Jesus    tyrist  of  Catter-day  5aii)t5 


Vol.  XII.  MARCH,  1909.  No.  5. 

Published  Monthly  at  Salt  Lake  City  by  the  General  Board 
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THE  IMPROVEMENT  ERA. 


As  the  Era  is  now  the  organ  of  the  Priesthood  Quorums,  as  well  as  of  the  Mutual  Improve- 
ment associations,  it  should  be  supported  by  the  Presidents  of  Stakes,  their  counselors,  Bishops 
ind  their  counselors,  and  by  the  Priesthood  generally,  as  well  as  by  the  M.  I.  A.  President 
Joseph  F.  Smith  is  editor  of  the  Rra  and  personally  contributes  to  its  pageB.  Better  reading 
matter  either  for  yourself,  your  sons  or  your  family  is  not  to  be  found.  I  have  repeatedly  read 
jingle  articles  in  a  number  which  to  me  were  worth  many  times  the  price  of  a  year's  subscrip- 
tion. Als )  please  remember  that  the  Era  is  sent  free  to  two  thousand  missionaries  scattered 
among  the  various  nations  of  the  earth,  and  in  this  way  it  becomes  a  missionary  itself  in  thou- 
sands of  homes  in  this  and  foreign  lands.  This  work  can  only  be  continued  through  the  loyal 
support  of  our  brethren  An  agent  to  solicit  subscriptions  for  the  Era  among  the  brethren  of 
the  Priesthood  Quorums  should  be  appointed.— Heber  J.  Grant,  Manager. 

The  Manual  sets,  advertised  in  the  last  Era  are  disposed  of,  and  we  regret  we  can  not 
fill  any  more  orders. 


IMPROVEMENT  ERA,   MARCH,   1909. 


Joseph  F    Smi-h,  i  _,.  Heber  J.  Grant,  Business  Manager 

Edward  H.  Anderson,    \ tauor8  Alpha  J.  Higgs.  Assistant 


TABLE   OF  CONTENTS. 

Book  of  Mormon  in  Greek.     (Illustrated) Joseph  F.  Thorup  329 

Group  o'  Eskimos.    (Illustration)  K.N.  Winnie 332 

Lincoln  and  the  Latter-day  Saints  Preston  Nibley  333 

Neanng  the  Goal.     A  Poem  Harold  Goff 337 

Porfirio  Diaz,  the  Grand  Old  Man  of  Mexico 

(With  Portrait)  Elizabeth  R.  Cannon  338 

Where  All  May  Climb      A  Poem Bertha  A.  Kleinman 344 

Some  Utah  Birds -The  Red-Shafted  Flicker.    ..  .. 

(Illustrated)  Claude  T.  Barnes 345 

Pebbles.     A  Poem Grace  Ingles  Frost 351 

Herbert  Melbourne — V   Edwin  F.  Parry 352 

Visit  to  and  Legend  of  the  Volcano  Kilauea  

(Illustrated)  E.  Wesley  Smith 361 

life  Indeed  W.A.Hyde 370 

To  the  Young  Man  on  the  Farm Milton  Bennion,  M.  A        ...  371 

Cumorah.     A  Poem Theo.  E.  Curtis  373 

Self-Conrrol-IX.  The  Majesty  of  Calmness William  George  Jordan  ..  ..  3*74 

Victory.     A  Poem  Ruth  May  Fox  377 

The   Tragedy  and  Triumph  of  Youth.  —  IV.    In- 
sincerity of  the  Intellect  the  Curse  of  the  Age  J.  E.  Hickman,  A.M 378 

The  Church  School  Farm  in  New  Zealand 

(Illustrated) John  W.  Reeve 381 

An  Emblem  for  the  Seventies.   A  Poem David  L.  Murdoch 384 

Washington  in  Hungary.     (Illustrated)  Hamilton  Gardner 385 

SkFlorida"-"ReDublic'' Collis  on  3*8 

Editor's  Table—  Holy  Ghost,  Holy  Spirit,  Comforter  President  Joseph  F.  Smith...  389 

Ether,  Holy  Spirit,  and  Holy  Ghost John  A.  Widtsoe 391 

Messages  from  the  Missions 394 

Priesthood  Quorums'  Table 397 

Mutual  Work— Library  and  Reading  Room — How 

to  Interest  Members 401 

Events  and  Comments    Edward  H.  Anderson 403 

Entered  at  the  Post  Office.   Salt  Lake  City,  aa  Second-Ola**  Matter. 


IMPROVEMENT   ERA. 


Vol.  XII. 


MARCH,  1909. 


No.  5 


BOOK  OF  MORMON  IN  GREEK. 


BY   JOSEPH   F.    THORUP. 


At  last  the  Book  of  Mormon  has  been  translated  into  the 
Greek  language.  I  say  at  last,  because  several  attempts  have 
before  been  made.  The  first 
two  books  of  Nephi  have 
been  oftenest  translated,  but 
these  were  one  evening  de- 
stroyed by  accident,  and  we 
were  therefore  obliged  to 
commence  anew.  The  trans- 
lation now  completed  is  being 
read,  revised  and  compared 
with  the  German,  Danish  and 
French  editions.  In  this  we 
have  made  good  progress,  but 
the  comparing  of  the  manu- 
scripts with  other  translations 
makes  the  work  laborious, 
consequently  somewhat  slow. 

In  the  translation  of  the  Book  of  Mormon  into  Greek  we  have 
had  the   advantage  of  the  language,  as  comparison  will  show,  and 


Paul  Graziatos,   Translator. 
Born  in  Cephalonia,  in  1847. 


330  IMPROVEMENT  ERA. 

I  only  regret  that  we  cannot  all  enjoy  it.  Probably  of  all  the 
translations  that  have  been  made,  none  are  so  literal  as  the  Dan- 
ish, but  the  Greek  language  was  the  depository  of  the  gospel,  and 
in  Creek  only  can  we  hope  for  the  more  perfect  rendering  of  holy 
writ. 

"In  answer  to  your  question,"  says  the  translator,  "I  will 
say  that  Greek  is  above  all  languages  the  most  fitting  for  the  ex- 
pression of  religious  representations  and  philosophical  thoughts; 
arising  to  a  matchless  degree   of    perfection,    through  wonder- 


L'Areopage — Mars  Hill,  Athens. 

And  they  took  Paul,  and  brought  him  into  Areopagus,  saying,  May  we  know 
what  this  new  doctrine,  whereof  thou  speakest,  is?  *  *  Then  Paul  stood  in  the 
midst  of  Mars'  Hill, and  said,  Ye  men  of  Athens,  I  perceive  that  in  all  things  ye 
are  too  superstitious. — Acts  17:  19,  22. 

ful  poets  and  prose  writers,  as  were  certainly  Plato  and  Aristotle 
and  the  Stoics,  this  language  was  made  by  Alexander  the  Great 
the  common  property  of  the  learned  of  the  then  civilized  world. 
The  scattered  Jews  in  Egypt,  in  the  loss  of  their  national 
language,  were  compelled  to  translate  their  sacred  books  into 
Greek,  that  they  might  preserve  the  religion  and  nationality  of 
their  fathers.  And  at  the  time  of  the  coming  of  Christ,  Greek 
had  become  the  world-organ  of  intellectual  and  commercial  inter- 
course.    In  it  was  conceived  and  formulated  the   great  man-God 


BOOK  OF  MORMON  IN  GREEK.  331 

eVi  twv  xecpaXcov  avxwv,  ovxoog  waxe  [iixqov  jietd  tf]v  dvci&rplnv 
tovXqiotov  eig  tov  ovoavov, ovxog  d^i]dd);  e^aveoan^ri  avroig* 

19.  Aioti  eSsi^ev  avxoig  to  ocojid  avxov  xal  E&iSa^ev  aivrovg, 
xal  exfteaig  xr\q  SiSaaxaXiag  avTOv  Oct  8odrj  voteqov.  Aio  ejxl  tov 
naoovcog  jxavco  ouiXcov. 

KE$AAAION  11 
eO  'L]OOvg  Xqioxbg  Efxcpavit,exai  Tiqbg  xbv  labv  Ne(pi,   ore  6  b%Xog 

ovvi')%dr)  ev  xfj  #<vga  3A(p$oviq,  xal  ididafev  avrovs,  xal  ovzcog 

eyavEQwfti]  avzoig. 

1 .  Kal  eyevexo,  6'xXog  jtoXv;  avvrJx#Ti  ex  xov  Xaov  Neqpl 
jxeqi£  tov  vaov,  ooxig  fjto  ev  xfj  y\\  'Aop&ovia'  xal  eOuvna'£ov  xal 
e^en^aoovTO  xal  eSeixvvov  dX?ajA.oig  xqv  yEvo\n£vr)v  [iEydlr\v  xal 
Oa\)[,iaoTT]v  n£xa|3oXr)v. 

2.  2vv8ieXeyovxo  $e  xal  Jteol  tovtov  tov  3lr\aov  Xqiotov,  rceoA 
tov  ftavdxov  Toi5  ojxoiov  eI/.s  bodr)  xb  cr][ietov. 

3.  Kal  sv  co  ovtoi  ovtcd  8t,eXeyovxo  jcqo;  dXb^ovg,  ijxovoav 
cpcovfjg  coael  soxo^isvt];  e|  ovoavov,  xal  egoiipav  xd  filhi\iaxa  av- 
xd>v  xvxXco,  Sioxt  8sv  xdxevoovv  xf)v  cpcovrjv,  f\q  fytovov  8ev  fjto 
8e  xoaxeta,  ov8e  jAeycxXri  f|  cpcovTj,  dXXd  xaixoi  ovoa  [uxod  8iexu>- 
Q8i  nexQi  tov  (3dftovg  xfjg  xaoSiag  avrcov,  outgo?  coots  ejioiei  Ta 
oojbiata  avtoSv  oXa  vd  TQE|iu)ai,  vai,  Siejiega  avxoug  ^lexQig  avTijg 
xfjg  tpvxT)?  xal  xaxeopXeye  Tag  xocgSiag  avxcov. 

4.  Kal  jtdXiv  TiKovoav  Tfjg  cpcovrjg,   xal  Sev  xatsvoi^oav  avxrjv. 

5.  Kal  Tcaliv  totqitov  T}xovaav  xfjg  (pcovfjg  xal  i]voi^av  td  coxa 
autojv,  I'va  dxowaooaiv  avxfjg  xal  ot  otp-QaX^iot  avxwv  Eorodopr]aav 
jtQog  tov  fjxov  avtfjg  xal  e(3Aejiov  aTevcog  Jtgog  tov  ovgavov,  ojco- 

OfiV    6   fj^Og  TJQXETO. 

6.  Kal  l8ov  xatd  to  tqltov  dxovc|ia  Ivorjaav  xryv  opcovi^v,  i]v 
i|xovov,xal  TJtig  eXsysv  autoig. 

7.  «'I8ov  6  vtog  jiov  6  dyajtriT6g,8v  (o  i|u86xY]aa,8v  w  ESo^aaa 
to  ovond  \iov,  ai>Toi5  dxoveie. » 

8.  Kal  eysvsto,  ore  evoT]aav,  v^coaav  xd  o(i(.iaxa  avTwv  jtd?av 
jtoog  xov  ovgavov  xal  e!8ov  avftgodnov  xaxa^auvovxa  ex  xov 
ovoavov-  fjxo  8e  jtEQi|3£pXTijiEvog  Xevxov  t^dxiov,  xal  xaxf)X^e  xal 
eoxi]  ev  \iiaoi  auxcuv,  xal  oi  oopdaXixol  acavxog  xov  o'xXov  EOTQa- 
qpT]oav  e^'avxov,  §ev  er6X[iT]aav  8e  vd  dvoi^coor  xd  ox6|xaxa  av- 
xwv,  ovSe  Eig  Jigog  exEQOv,  xal  8ev  eyivcooxov  tI  tovto  eoiijxaive, 
Sioti  vjiEXa^ov,  oxi  dyyEAog  ecpdvi]  avxoig. 

Ill  Nephi  11.     Page  from  the  new  Greek  Book  of  Mormon  Translation. 


IMPROVEMENT  ERA. 


doctrine;  by  it  was  developed  and  spread  the  saving  Christian  dog- 
mas. The  whole  of  the  books  of  the  New  Testament,  the  Articles  of 
Faith,  the  theological  writings  of  the  early  Fathers  of  the  church 
were  written  in  Greek.  The  Book  of  Mormon,  therefore,  having  such 
close  relation  to  the  holy  scriptures  as  to  style  and  matter,  can,  I 
think,  only  in  the  Greek  language  be  translated  faithfully  and 
exactly." 

It  must  not  be  thought  that  we  have  translated  in  a  language 
other  than  Greek.  Between  the  language  of  the  translation  and 
the  language  of  the  New  Testament,  there  can  be  said  to  be  but  a 
shadow  of  difference,  as  indeed  there  is  but  little  difference  be- 
tween the  Greek  of  the  New  Testament  and  the  Greek  of  the  con- 
temporary newspapers.  Each  year  Greek  is  becoming  more  pure 
and  classical :  foreign  elements  and  vulgarisms  are  being  elimi- 
nated, and  it  will  be  but  a  matter  of  a  little  time  and  Greek  is  back 
again  in  its  pristine  purity  and  beauty. 

Athens,  Greece,  Jan.  1,  1909. 


^    ^1 

jf*          mumr- 

SSflKfl 

BaBC 

Photo  sent  the  Era  by  K.  N.  Winnie,  Nome,  Alaska. 

Group  of  Eskimos  brought  from  Siberia,  Russia,  to  form  a  part  of  the  Alaska- 
Yukon  Exposition,  Seattle,  1909. 


LINCOLN  AND  THE  LATTER-DAY  SAINTS. 

BY  PRESTON  NIBLEY. 


There  are  few  people  in  the  United  States  who  did  not,  some- 
time during  the  past  month,  pronounce  the  name  of  Abraham  Lin- 
coln. February  12  was  the  great  war  President's  centenary.  A 
hundred  years  had  passed  since  the  wife  of  Thomas  Lincoln,  in  a 
crude  backwoods  cabin  in  Kentucky,  gave  birth  to  a  son  whom 
she  named  Abraham. 

It  is  not  my  purpose  here  to  trace  the  life  of  that  son,  from 
his  lowly  backwoods  home  to  the  White  House  at  Washington . 
That  has  been  ably  done  by  thousands  of  writers  and  speakers  dur- 
ing the  past  month,  and  I  presume  the  main  facts  of  the  same 
are  fresh  in  the  minds  of  every  reader  of  the  Era.  I  wish  merely 
to  call  attention  to  a  few  specific  incidents  wherein  Lincoln  directly 
concerned  himself  with,  or  was  the  concern  of,  the  Latter-day 
Saints.  For  it  several  times  happened,  in  the  course  of  his  great 
and  varied  career,  that  occasion  to  do  us  a  friendly  turn  was  af- 
forded him;  and  that,  after  the  manner  of  his  kindly  heart,  he  did 
not  disappoint  us,  history  well  evidences. 

The  first  event  of  which  I  have  record,  dates  back  to  the 
year  1840,  and  has  its  setting  in  the  state  of  Illinois.  Let  us 
glance  at  the  situation.  On  a  pretty  bend  of  the  Mississippi,  where 
it  winds  past  Hancock  county,  is  a  young  and  growing  city  called 
by  the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith  and  his  followers  who  had  settled 
there,  Nauvoo,  "The  Beautiful."  Immigrants  are  pouring  in  from 
every  side.  It  is  the  Prophet's  desire  that  the  machinery  of 
government  shall  soon  be  set  in  order  and  that  the  city  shall  be 
properly  incorporated  as  ordained  by  law.     Accordingly,  when  Mr. 


884  IMPROVEMENT  ERA. 

Sidney  S,  Little,  senator  from  Hancock  county,  sets  out  for 
Springfield,  in  L840,  to  attend  the  Pall  session  of  the  State  Legis- 
lature, he  carries  in  his  pocket  a  bill  entitled,  '  'An  act  to  incor- 
porate the  city  of  Nauvoo."  The  third  day  of  the  session  Mr. 
Little  asks  leave  to  introduce  his  bill.  "Referred  to  the  commit- 
tee on  Judiciary,"  the  old  Senate  Journal  tells  us.  Then  again, 
that  it  was  returned  with  an  amendment,  Decembers;  that  it  was 
read  for  third  time  December  '.»,  "and  passed." 

On  the  same  day,  in  the  afternoon,  the  "Act  to  incorporate 
the  city  of  Nauvoo"  was  carried  to  the  members  of  the  House. 
Among  the  various  representatives  present,  who  heard  it  intro- 
duced and  read,  was  a  certain  lean,  long,  kindly  individual,  "Abe" 
Lincoln,  sent  up  from  Sangamon  county.  Lincoln  was  at  that 
time  in  his  thirty-first  year,  "stood  six  feet  four  in  his  stocking 
feet,"  was  unmarried  and  very  poor,  but  in  politics  acknowledged 
everywhere  as  the  leader  of  his  party  in  the  State.  We  would 
give  much  now  to  know  what  he  whispered  to  his  friends  about 
the  new  "Mormon"  community;  what  his  opinions  were  of  the  young 
Prophet  who  had  come  to  settle  in  the  neighboring  county.  Very 
fortunately  we  are  not  entirely  without  information  on  the  sub- 
ject. On  page  267  of  Vol.  II  of  the  Times  and  Seasons  is  found 
a  letter  written  at  this  time  from  Springfield,  and  signed  by  one 
"Joab,  a  General  in  Israel,"  stating  that  the  "Act"  had  passed  the 
legislature.  I  think  I  am  right  in  stating  that  this  Joab  was 
that  pompous  individual,  John  C.  Bennett,  whose  career  is  so  well 
known.  Undoubtedly  he  had  gone  to  Springfield  to  use  his  in- 
fluence in  favor  of  the  Saints,  with  whom  he  was  then  allied.  He 
writes,  "Many  members  in  the  House  likewise  were  warmly  in  our 
favor,  and  with  only  one  or  two  dissenting  voices,  every  repre- 
sentative appeared  inclined  to  extend  to  us  all  such  powers  as  they 
considered  us  justly  entitled  to,  and  voted  for  the  law:  and  here  I 
should  not  forget  to  mention  that  Lincoln,  whose  name  we  erased 
from  the  electoral  ticket  in  November  (not,  however,  on  account 
of  any  dislike  to  him  as  a  man,  but  simply  because  his  was  the  last 
name  on  the  ticket  and  we  desired  to  show  our  friendship  to  the 
Democratic  party  by  substituting  the  name  of  Ralston  for  some 
one  of  the  Whigs)  had  the  magnanimity  to  vote  for  our  act,  and 
came  forward  after  the  final  vote  to  the  bar  of  the  House  and  con- 


LINCOLN  AND  THE  LATTER-DAY  SAINTS.  335 

gratulated  me  on  its  passage."  In  view  of  what  we  now  know  of 
Lincoln  this  act  of  " magnanimity"  is  very  characteristic  of  him. 
Does  not  it  express  that  kindly  nature  of  his:  "With  malice  toward 
none,  with  charity  for  all;  with  firmness  in  the  right  as  God  gives 
us  to  see  the  right." 

Come  now  to  the  year  1856,  which  saw  the  birth  of  the  Re- 
publican party.  The  scene  of  "Mormondom"  has  changed.  Brigham 
Young  and  his  followers  are  snugly  situated  in  the  valleys  of  the 
Rocky  mountains,  and  are  free  and  alone  to  worship  God  as  they 
know  he  requires.  But  to  the  East  the  powers  of  evil  are  still 
active  against  them.  Belated,  broken-down  politicians,  who  have 
been  sent  out  to  govern  the  "Mormons"  return  with  stories  of  hor- 
rible crimes,  polygamy,  etc.  Members  of  the  young  Republican 
party  listen.  With  slavery,  against  which  they  are  so  bitter,  they 
catch  up  another  issue  and  embody  it  in  their  platform,  They  will 
abolish  from  the  country  '  'chose  twin  relics  of  barbarism,  slavery 
and  polygamy." 

Abraham  Lincoln  was  a  member  of  the  Republican  party  in 
1856.  His  hatred  of  slavery  made  him  early  take  the  "stump," 
and  he  traveled  up  and  down  his  State  dealing  it  many  a  crushing 
blow.  But  how  about  polygamy  the  other  "relic"  and  issue  of  his 
party?  In  all  his  recorded  speeches  during  this  campaign,  there  is 
not  a  word  to  show  that  he  raised  his  voice  against  it.  Undoubtedly 
he  accepted  that  article  of  our  faith  which  claims  the  privilege  of 
worshiping  God  according  to  the  dictates  of  one's  conscience,  and 
allowing  the  same  right  to  all  men. 

When,  in  1860,  Lincoln  was  elected  President,  someone  asked 
him  what  he  was  going  to  do  about  the  "Mormons."  He  may  have 
astonished  his  hearers  with  his  reply:  "Let  them  alone,"  said  he  , 
Then  he  launched  into  one  of  his  characteristic  stories,  which  I 
copy  from  Whitney's  History  of  Utah.  He  compared  the  so-called 
"Mormon"  question  "to  a  knotty  green  hemlock  log  on  a  newly 
cleared  frontier  farm.  The  log,  being  too  heavy  to  remove,  too 
knotty  to  split,  and  too  wet  to  burn,  he  proposed  like  a  wise  farmer 
to  plow  around  it."  Here  again  he  showed  the  "magnanimity" 
that  had  characterized  him  twenty  years  before.  He  intended  to 
let  the  "Mormons"  alone.  The  event  reminds  one  of  another  recorded 
occasion  in  the  history  of  the  world.      "Then  stood  there  up  one 


3.%  IMPROVEMENT  ERA 

in  the  council,: B  Pharisee,  named  Gamaliel,  a  doctor  of  the  law, 
had  in  reputation  among  all  the  people,  and  commanded  to  put 
the  apostles  forth  a  little  space;  and  said  unto  them  .  .  .  Refrain 
from  these  men, and  let  them  alone:  for  if  this  council  or  this  work 
be  of  men,  it  will  come  to  nought.  But  if  it  be  of  God,  ye  cannot 
overthrow  it;  lest  haply  ye  be  found  to  even  fight  against  God." 

Well,  the  great  Civil  War  broke  out  in  1861,  and  from  then 
on  until  the  end  of  his  first  term,  Lincoln's  attention  was  absorbed 
in  dealing  with  it.  Rut  not  so  with  talking  Congress.  In  July, 
1862,  both  houses,  having  perhaps  nothing  else  to  do,  passed  a 
law  prohibiting  polygamy  in  the  territories.  President  Lincoln 
signed  the  law;  but  that  he  did  anything  to  vigorously  enforce  it, 
evidence  is  wanting.  At  any  rate,  the  Saints  seem  to  have  con- 
sidered him  a  friend,  as  they  supported  him  at  his  second  election. 
Bancroft,  speaking  of  March  4th,  1865,  as  celebrated  in  Utah,  re- 
cords the  following:  "All  joined  in  celebrating  the  second  inaugu- 
ration of  Abraham  Lincoln,  and  the  success  of  the  Union  arms. 
Though  his  party  was  strongly  opposed  to  'Mormonism,'  Lincoln  had 
little  to  say  on  the  so-called  'Mormon'  question,  and  that  little  was 
expressed  in  three  words:  Let  them  alone.  To  be  left  alone  was 
all  the  people  asked  and  all  that  they  had  struggled  for  since  Utah 
was  first  admitted  as  a  territory.  The  occasion  was  therefore  one 
of  rejoicing,  honest  and  heartfelt,  and  the  pageant  more  imposing 
than  anything  that  had  yet  been  witnessed  in  the  city  of  the  Saints. 
In  the  center  of  Main  Street  a  platform  was  erected,  and  here,  on 
the  morning  of  the  4th  of  March,  the  Federal  officers,  civil  and 
military,  exchanged  greetings  with  the  Church  dignitaries.  Past 
them  filed  a  precession  of  tradesmen  and  workingmen,  a  mile  in 
length,  the  sidewalks,  the  windows  and  housetops  being  crowded 
with  an  eager  and  boisterous  throng.  The  buildings  were  draped 
with  flags,  the  carriages  and  sleighs  decorated  with  streamers,  the 
men  and  women  with  rosettes,  while  the  bands  of  the  3rd  Infantry 
and  the  Nauvoo  Legion  furnished  music,  and  'Mormon'  banners  with 
their  manifold  devices  appeared  side  by  side  with  the  Stars  and 
Stripes." 

Following  on  the  heels  of  this  happy  celebration  came  news 
that  President  Lincoln  had  been  murdered.  All  the  world  was  de- 
pressed and  filled  with  grief.    Humanity  knew  it  had  lost  a  friend. 


LINCOLN  AND  THE  LATTER-DAY  SAINTS.  337 

A  day  of  mourning  was  set  apart  for  the  people  of  the  United 
States;  a  day  to  praise  the  virtues  of  the  departed  president.  No- 
where was  it  better  observed  than  in  the  city  of  the  Saints.  I  copy 
again  from  Bancroft.  "On  the  19th  of  April,  the  day  set  apart 
for  the  funeral  solemnities  at  Washington,  business  was  suspended 
at  Salt  Lake  City;  the  flags  on  the  public  buildings  were  hung  at 
half  mast  and  covered  with  crape;  many  of  the  stores  and  resi- 
dences were  dressed  in  mourning,  and  long  before  the  appointed 
hour  more  than  three  thousand  persons,  among  them  being  many 
gentiles,  were  assembled  at  the  Tabernacle.  The  platform  was 
occupied  by  the  civil  and  military  functionaries  and  a  number  of 
prominent  citizens,  the  stand  and  organ  being  draped  in  black. 
The  exercises  commenced  by  an  anthem  by  the  choir,  followed  by 
a  prayer  from  Franklin  D.  Richards.  Then  came  an  eloquent  ad- 
dress from  Amasa  Lyman,  and  an  impressive  eulogy  on  the  life, 
character  and  services  of  Lincoln,  byNormanMcLeod,the  Chaplain 
at  Camp  Douglas .  The  funeral  rites  concluded  by  a  benediction 
from  Wilford  Woodruff." 

Thus  ended  the  relations  of  Abraham  Lincoln  with  the  Latter- 
day  Saints. 
Chicago,  111. 


NEAR1NG  THE  GOAL 
(For  the  Improvement  Era.) 


Press  on  ye  weary,  looking  for  the  light, 
Think  not  the  journey  is  too  hard  and  long; 

Do  not  forget  that  God  is  with  the  right ; 
Fresh  courage  take  and  join  in  happy  song. 

The  rocky  hill  is  steepest  near  the  crest, 

So  don't  give  way  to  darkening  despond; 
This  hardest  climb  is  our  supremest  test, 

The  vale  of  sweet  content  is  just  beyond. 

Harold  Goff. 


New  York,  N.  Y. 


PORFIRIO    DIAZ,  THE    GRAND   OLD   MAN  OF 

MEXICO. 

BY  ELIZABETH  K.  CANNON,  FORMERLY  OF  THE  JUAREZ  STAKE 

ACADEMY. 


Mexico  City,  Feb.  8. — An  organization  has  been  started  in  this  city  for  the 
purpose  of  enlisting  delegates  from  every  state  of  the  republic  to  call  on  Gen. 
Porfirio  Diaz,  April  2,  and  ask  him  to  remain  at  the  head  of  the  nation  for  another 
term.  —  Telegraphic  News  Item. 

In  days  to  come  the  man  who  arose  out  of  the  ashes  of  revo- 
lution and  made  Mexico  what  she  is  today,  will  be  counted  one  of 

the  greatest — if  not  the  greatest 
— men  of  the  19th  century.  Born 
in  the  direst  poverty,  like  Abraham 
Lincoln,  like  Bismarck  he  has  built 
an  empire. 

Porfirio  Diaz,  one  of  seven 
children  of  an  innkeeper,  was  born 
in  Oaxaca,  in  the  southern  tropics 
of  Mexico.  The  mother  was  early 
left  a  widow,  and  struggled  hard 
to  bring  up  her  family.  The  mis- 
chievous boy  ran  among  the  giant 
cactus,  stole  rides  on  clumsy  ore 
carts  drawn  by  oxen,  and  helped 
the  turkey  vender  drive  his  live 
wares  through  the  town.  All  his 
centavas  he  saved  in  order  to  shoot 
a  pistol  from  the  roof  of  the  house 
on  feast  days. 

Yielding  to   his  mother's  entreaties,  Porfirio  studied  for  the 
church, 'but  he  soon  .made  up  his  mind  that  he  would  rather  be  a 


Prest.  Porfirio  Diaz,  Mexico. 


PORFIRIO  DIAZ,  THE  GRAND  OLD  MAN  OF  MEXICO.    339 

colonel  than  a  priest,  and  flatly  refused  to  go  any  further.  He 
taught  school  and  studied  at  the  same  time.  When  he  was  seven- 
teen, he  heard  about  the  fighting  of  General  Santa  Anna,  up  in 
Texas,  so  started  on  foot,  (he  was  too  poor  to  ride)  to  Mexico 
City,  to  join  the  national  guard;  but  when  he  reached  there,  the 
peace  treaty  was  signed,  so  he  retraced  his  way  through  the 
gorgeous  canyons  to  Oaxaca. 

Diaz  practiced  law  and  received  his  first  training  in  the  mili- 
tary schools.  He  effected  the  escape  of  one  of  his  teachers  who 
was  imprisoned  for  political  reasons,  by  letting  himself  down  by  a 
rope  from  a  tower,  and  communicating  with  him. 

At  an  assembly  called  to  vote  for  Santa  Anna  as  Dictator, 
Diaz  refused  to  vote. 

"You  are  afraid!"  shouted  one  of  the  men. 

Diaz,  aflame  with  wrath,  strode  up  to  the  front  and  cast  his 
vote  for  a  revolutionary  general,  Santa  Anna's  opponent.  This 
created  an  uproar  in  which  the  young  insurgent  voter  escaped. 
He  jumped  on  a  horse,  and  though  officers  were  sent  to  arrest  him, 
he  succeeded  in  reaching  Mixteca,  where  the  peasants  were  in  re- 
volt. 

He  placed  himself  at  the  head  of  laborers  armed  with  axes 
and  machetes,  (sword-like  knives)  and  sallied  out  to  meet  the 
troops.  He  placed  his  men  on  the  cliffs  above  a  deep  ravine, 
and  when  the  Republican  soldiers  stopped  to  drink  in  the  creek 
below,  toppled  great  boulders  crashing  down  on  them.  The  cav- 
alry rode  on,  but  the  infantry  was  destroyed. 

That  was  his  first  engagement,  and  Diaz  was  twenty-four 
years  old. 

When  Juarez, the  full-blooded  Zapotec  Indian,  who  proved  the 
George  Washington  of  Mexico,  became  president,  he  appointed 
Diaz  Captain  of  Grenadiers.  The  clergy,  who  did  not  like  the 
liberal  measures  of  the  new  government,  rebelled. 

In  the  first  battle  Diaz  led  the  bayonet  charge.  He  was 
struck  by  a  ball  in  the  side,  but  stuffed  his  red  cap  into  the 
wound  and  went  on.  He  drove  the  enemy  into  a  swiftly  flowing 
stream,  where  most  of  them  were  drowned.  For  one  year  and 
eight  months  the  young  captain  bore  that  bullet  in  his  body.  He 
was  borne  on  a  bamboo  litter,   sometimes  scorched  by  the  tropical 


340  IMPROVEMEN7  ERA. 

sun,  or  drenched  by  the  rains.  One  day  it  was  dropped  to  the 
ground.     After  that  he  rode  a  horse. 

He  had  not  yet  recovered  when  his  native  town  was 
besieged,  and  in  defending  it,  the  invalid  reopened  his  wound. 
From  there  he  went  as  governor  to  Tehuantepec  on  the  Isthmus 
— "the  land  of  pretty  women."  On  hearing  that  Oaxaca  was 
again  taken  by  the  enemy,  he  marched  upon  it.  He  won  battle 
after  battle,  suffered  only  one  defeat,  and  by  replacing  a  trick  of 
his  enemy  by  one  of  his  own,  he  finally  took  the  town,  himself 
being  wounded  in  the  leg.  So  he  was  made  colonel,  and  his  child- 
hood's dream  was  realized;  but  the  next  two  battles — one  fought 
on  a  dark  night— made  him  a  general  and  brought  the  war  to  a 
close. 

Napoleon  III,  the  ambitious  dreamer  of  dreams,  intoxicated 
with  victory,  conceived  the  idea  of  establishing  a  French  mon- 
archy in  this  romantic  land,  to  show  the  extent  of  his  power,  and 
be  an  object  lesson  to  two  continents.  So  he  landed  thirty  thou- 
sand French  soldiers  at  Vera  Cruz.  They  marched  against  Puebla 
which  the  Mexicans  yielded  inch  by  inch.  After  a  month  of  ter- 
rible slaughtering,  and  street  fighting,  the  town  succumbed,  and 
Diaz,  with  other  officers,  was  taken  prisoner.  The  night  before 
the  melancholy  little  band  started  for  Vera  Cruz,  he  escaped. 
Doffing  his  uniform,  he  wrapped  himself  in  a  blanket,  saluted  the 
guard  as  any  shivering  Indian  camp  straggler  might  have  done, 
and  walked  out. 

Napoleon  offered  the  throne  of  Mexico  to  Maximilian,  Duke 
of  Austria,  and  Carlota,  his  beautiful  young  wife.  The  young, 
handsome,  unlucky  pair,  arrived  in  Mexico  and  established  a  mag- 
nificent court.  Still  the  old  Indian  Juarez  maintained  that  he  was 
president,  and  Diaz  fought  stubbornly  in  the  mountains  against 
the  foreign  invaders,  refusing  all  their  bribes  to  join  the  army  of 
the  so-called  Emperor  Maximilian. 

The  French  besieged  his  native  town  and  he  rushed  to  its  de- 
fense, only  to  deliver  it,  after  a  sickening  siege,  into  the  hands  of 
the  French  marshal,  Bazaine.  Diaz,  a  prisoner  a  second  time, 
was  incarcerated  in  an  ex-convent  prison.  Here  he  began  to  dig 
a  subterranean  passage  underneath  his  bed,  but  was  transfered 
to  another  jail  where  he  was  allowed  more  freedom,  before  it  was 


P0RFIR10  DIAZ,  THE  GRAND  OLD  MAN  OF. MEXICO.    341 

completed.  Again  he  made  his  plans.  He  bought  a  horse  and 
trappings  and  had  it  ready.  Two  of  the  prisoners  who  were  in  his 
confidence  invited  the  guards  to  play  cards  one  night.  Porfirio 
rolled  three  ropes  into  a  ball,  took  his  dagger,  and  went  out  on 
the  roof  balcony  where  the  prisoners  took  their  airings. 

He  crawled  along  the  roofs,  keeping  in  the  shadow  of  the 
chimneys  to  avoid  the  eye  of  the  sentinel,  nearly  fell  through  a 
skylight,  and  finally  reached  a  corner  of  the  house,  where  he 
hoped  to  descend  to  the  street.  He  fastened  his  rope  to  a  statue 
of  a  saint  and  swung  loose.  But  instead  of  reaching  the  sidewalk, 
he  fell  on  the  garden  side  of  the  wall,  and  when  he  cut  the  rope, 
landed  in  a  pig  sty.  The  pigs  squealed,  and  Diaz'  heart  sank,  but 
as  no  one  bothered  himself  to  investigate  the  noises,  he  slipped 
over  the  wall  and  left  the  town.  He  swam  a  flooded  river,  pulling 
his  horse  by  the  bridle,  and  escaped  sharp  shooters  by  his  horse- 
manship. 

Maximilian  issued  his  "Decree  of  Huitzilopochtli" — so  called 
after  the  Aztec  gods  of  war,  who  could  only  be  propitiated  by 
human  sacrifices, — branding  all  Mexicans  who  opposed  the  empire 
as  traitors  and  ordering  them  to  be  shot.  As  a  result  of  this, 
Maximilian  was  himself  shot  by  the  order  of  Juarez,  at  Quere- 
taro,  less  than  two  years  later,  after  his  beautiful  wife  had  gone 
to  Europe  to  plead  at  the  feet  of  kings  for  help,  only  *to  be 
spurned.  Carlota  went  insane.  Juarez  remained  president,  and 
Diaz  at  the  head  of  the  victorious  Republican  armies  entered  the 
city  of  Mexico  in  triumph  and  took  possession. 

During  the  siege  of  Mexico  City,  Diaz  had  found  time  to 
marry.  During  the  presidency  of  Juarez,  and  Lerdo,  who  suc- 
ceeded him,  he  lived  very  happily  on  his  sugar  plantation  at 
Oaxaca.  He  was  as  good  an  agriculturist  as  a  soldier.  Here  his 
three  children  were  born,  and  his  wife  died. 

When  Lerdo,  after  a  corrupt  administration,  stood  for 
re-election  against  the  Constitution,  the  people  rose  in  revolt, 
Diaz  went  north  to  the  prairie  land,  and  gathered  the  vaqueros 
(cowboys)  from  the  haciendas,  but  when  Lerdo  sent  six  thousand 
soldiers  to  meet  him,  he  disbanded  his  force  and  fled  to  New 
Orleans. 

The   story  of  his  return  to  Mexico  to  take  supreme  command 


342  IMPROVEMENT  ERA. 

of  the  Army  of  the  Revolution,  reads  more  like  a  boy's  favorite 
book  of  adventure,  than  a  passage  from  the  life  of  the  president 
of  a  great  republic.  New  Orleans  was  then  swarming  with  exiles 
from  Mexico,  but  so  perfect  was  his  disguise  that  he  moved 
among  them  unrecognized. 

A  few  days  after  his  arrival,  a  "Dr.  Torres"  embarked  at  New 
Orleans  on  board  the  steamship  City  of  Havana.  This  medical 
gentleman  of  Cuban  nationality,  was  on  his  way  to  Vera  Cruz.  At 
Tampico,  Mexican  troops  that  had  been  prisoners  in  the  hands  of 
I>iaz,  were  crowded  on  board.  It  needed  only  some  whispering 
and  meaning  glances  cast  in  his  direction  to  convince  the  Cuban 
doctor  that  his  identity  had  been  discovered.  He  knew  that  if  he 
remained  on  board  he  would  be  made  prisoner. 

With  characteristic  boldness  he  made  a  desperate  resolve. 
The  ship  was  far  out  from  the  shore.  That  night  he  came  on 
deck,  slipped  overboard,  and  struck  out  for  land.  Sharks  infest 
the  gulf  and  his  blood  ran  cold  at  the  thought  of  the  long  and 
exhausting  struggle  that  lay  before  him. 

But  his  flight  had  been  discovered.  A  boat  was  lowered.  He 
swam  desperately,  but  was  overtaken  and  dragged  back  to  the 
ship.  The  foe  of  the  Lerdists  was  made  prisoner,  and  would  prob- 
ably be  shot.  He  claimed  protection  under  the  flag  of  the  United 
States.  It  was  granted.  He  was  free — until  he  arrived  at  Vera 
Cruz. 

The  next  day  Diaz  bribed  the  purser,  secured  a  life-buoy, 
and  asked  his  connivance  in  escaping.  That  officer  understood  the 
dangers  of  getting  to  the  shore  better  than  the  general,  and  pro- 
posed a  counterplan. 

Late  that  night  a  splash  was  heard,  commotion  ensued;  the 
prisoner  could  nowhere  be  found.  The  captain  believed  that  he 
had  gone  overboard  and  drew  up  a  formal  report  to  that  effect. 
The  life  buoy  was  found  later  washed  up  on  the  shore. 

On  the  arrival  of  the  steamer  at  Vera  Cruz,  the  commandante 
ordered  a  thorough  inspection  of  the  ship  and  guards  placed  on  it. 
No  one  thought  of  prying  open  a  sofa  seat  in  the  purser's  cabin, 
within  which,  for  seven  days  and  nights,  Diaz  had  been  cooped  up 
and  half  stifled.      The   Lerdist  officers  had  actually  sat  upon  him 


P0RF1RI0  DIAZ,  THE  GRAND  OLD  MAN  OF  MEXICO.    343 

when  they  played  cards.  In  the  disguise  of  a  sailor  he  reached 
shore. 

After  his  death  had  been  duly  mourned,  he  turned  up  at 
Oaxaca,  fired  the  troops  with  enthusiasm,  and  led  them  on  to 
victory. 

There  had  been  fifty-two  rulers  in  fifty-nine  years,  when 
Diaz,  straight  and  handsome,  leading  his  victorous  troops, 
marched  past  our  Lady  of  Guadalupe  into  Mexico  City,  to  assume 
the  role  of  president.  It  was  a  new  one  for  this  rough  soldier  of 
fortune.  For  thirty  peaceful  years  (since  May  1879)  he  has  ruled 
his  people,  and  Mexico  today  shows  how  well  he  has  done  it. 

He  was  forty-six  years  old  when  he  set  to  work  with  an  iron 
hand  to  make  a  prosperous  country  out  of  bandit-infested, 
poverty-ridden,  debt- swamped  Mexico.  He  disbanded  the  enor- 
mous army,  paid  the  chief  debts,  by  peace  encouraged  industry  in 
the  people,  built  up  commerce,  drained  Mexico  City,  built  a  net- 
work of  railroads  with  invested  American  capital,  discharged  dis- 
honest officials,  made  the  English  language  compulsory  in  the  pub- 
lic schools,  cut  off  all  union  of  church  and  state,  and  made  relig- 
ion free  throughout  the  land. 

As  prosperity  dawned,  this  stern  old  warrior  was  softened  by 
beautiful  Carmelita  Rubio,  whom  he  married  after  he  became 
president.  This  brilliant,  queenly  woman  worshiped  the  old  war- 
rior when  she  was  a  little  girl,  and  loved  the  modest,  kindly  man 
when  she  became  a  woman. 

Madame  Diaz, — who  speaks  all  languages,  dresses  perfectly, 
and  manages  his  home  like  the  lovely,  domestic  woman  she  is — 
has  supplied  the  social  eclat  that  he  needed. 

This  man  of  seventy-nine  (he  was  born  Sept.  15,  1830)  treats 
his  wife  like  a  lover,  and  she  hovers  around  him  with  the  look  on 
her  face  born  of  a  great  love. 

Their  home-life  is  happy.  The  other  side  of  the  stern  president 
is  seen  when  he  rollicks  on  the  floor  with  his  grandchildren  and 
good-naturedly  kisses  a  doll  held  up  by  a  little  girl,  the  daughter 
of  his  son,  Captain  Diaz. 

After  all,  the  life  of  Diaz  is  the  history  of  Mexico  during 
the  last  half  century,  and  so  firmly  has  he  welded  his  work,  it 
will  never  be  undone.     The   first   part  of  his  life  was  given   to 


344  IMPROVEMENT  ERA. 

bloodshed,  and  the  last  part  to  preventing  it,  for  there  have  been 
no  more  revolutions.  When  he  goes  down  to  the  grave,  it  will  be 
with  a  record  for  nation-making  that  has  not  been  -equaled  in 
modern  times.  President  Diaz,  in  conformity  with  his  liberal 
principles,  has  encouraged  the  Latter-day  Saints  to  settle  in 
Mexico.  He  has  offered  them  a  vast  tract  of  land  down  in  his 
tropical  native  state,  Oaxaca,  in  the  extreme  southern  part  of  the 
country. 
Salt  Lake  City,  Utah. 

WHERE  ALL  MAY  CLIMB- 

(For  the  Improvement  Era.) 


There's  a  dazzling  city  they  call  Success, 

And  it  stands  in  the  sun's  red  glare, 
Where  the  pilgrims  of  effort  by  strange  ways  press 

To  a  stand  on  the  proud  heights  there; 
And  close  to  the  portals  a  messenger  waits 
To  welcome  all  travelers  to  enter  the  gates. 

Some  ride  to  its  shelter  in  purple  array, 

On  paths  where  the  storms  never  come, 
With  courtiers  paving  and  strewing  the  way 

Till  all  of  the  journey  is  done; 
Who,  standing  aloof  in  the  luxurious  time, 
Would  tell  us  the  summit  is  easy  to  climb. 

Some  long  for  its  splendor,  but  stand  back  and  weep, 

In  the  midst  of  the  weary  throng, 
Who  sigh  that   the  peaks  are  too  dizzy  and  steep, 

And  the  way  of  the  journey  too  long; 
Who  long  for  the  blossoming  gardens  of  pow'r, 
Yet  weary  of  seeking  their  height,  in  an  hour . 

Some  dash  on  their  wav  to  this  city  of  fame, 

Who  smilingly  boast  as  they  go 
That  no  pinnacle  there  is  too  lofty  an  aim 

For  the  arrow  their  wielding  can  throw; 
Who,  like  unto  Patheon — child  of  the  sun — 
Dash  back  to  the  earth  ere  the   journey  is  done. 

Some  plod  through  the  steeps  where  storms  only  descend, 

Who,  braving  the  rage  of  the  gale, 
Toil  patiently  on  till  life  wears  to  its  end, 

And  we  say  of  their  works,  "They  have  failed." 
Frail  judges,  we  mortals,  who  measure  and  guess 
At  the  souls  that  shall  enter  the  world  of  Success. 

Bertha  A.  Kleinman. 
Salt  Lake  City,  Utah. 


SOME  UTAH  BIRDS. 

BY     CLAUDE    T.   BARNES,   M.   S.   P.   R.,   MEMBER   NATIONAL  ASSOCI- 
ATION  AUDUBON   SOCIETY. 


VI— THE   RED-SHAFTED   FLICKER. 

{Colaptes  Mexieanus.) 

The  library  grate  roared  and  crackled  with  such  alluring  inter- 
est and  comfort  that  I  wanted  to  snuggle  with  "Spike"  on  the  rug 
before  it,  for  through  the  windows  nature  appeared  mantled  with 
snow,  and  long  unmelting  icicles  hung  along  the  porch.  How  cold 
the  world;  how  inviting  home!  Truly,  winter  had  come — winter 
of  which  Cowper  happily  said: 

I  crown  thee  king  of  intimate  delights, 
Fireside  enjoyments,  home- borne  happiness, 
And  all  the  comforts,  that  the  lowly  roof 
Of  undisturb'd  retirement,  and  the  hours 
Of  long,  uninterrupted  evening,  know. 

Soon,  however,  the  sun  broke  through  the  heavy  clouds;  a 
warm  refulgence  filled  the  air;  the  icicles  began  to  drip;  branch 
after  branch  of  the  evergreen  trees,  flipped  away  a  mantle  of  snow; 
and  invitingness  swelled  forth  everywhere. 

Picking  up  my  opera  glasses,  I  ventured  forth,  hoping  to 
meet  some  feathered  friend  which  had  taken  advantage  of  the 
genial  brightness  of  the  hour  in  which  to  breakfast  and  rejoice  in 
song. 

Even  before  I  reached  the  orchard,  I  heard  one  drumming  in 
the  apple  tree;  and  I  knew  it  was  the  Flicker,  for  only  he  can  beat 
such  a  powerful  tattoo.      Sure  enough,  there  he  was,  walking  up- 


:'.K. 


IMPROVEMENT  ERA. 


ward  and  around  the  grubby  old  trunk,  pattering  and  pecking  with 
the  energy  of  B  miner's  drill  and  hesitating  only  when  he  uttered 
his  load,  penetrating  call.  I  noticed  that  he  frequently  assumed 
a  horizontal  position  on  a  limb— a  characteristic  of  probably  only 
one  of  the  species  of  the  family  picidae. 


In  Utah,  we  have  several  woodpeckers.  Harris's  woodpecker 
(Picus  Villosus  Harrisi),  the  black  and  white  hairy  little  visitant 
of  our  orchards,  is  fairly  common  and  altogether  beneficial  in  his 
habits;  the  Downy  woodpecker  or  Lesser  Sapsucker  (Picus  Pubes- 
cens  Gairdner),  also  a  black  and  white  drummer  though  very  small 
in  comparison  with  the  others,  is  seen  quite  often,  especially  at 
this  time  of  the  year  and  is  considered  of  great  economic  value; 
the  Red-naped  woodpecker  (Sphyropicus  varius  nuchalis)  is  rare; 
Lewis's  Woodpecker  (melanerpes  torquatus), which  is  almost  black 


SOME  UTAH  BIRDS.  347 

like  a  crow  and  has  a  peculiar  fluttering  flight  similar  to  that  of  a 
hawk,  is  quite  common  in  Utah  in  the  higher  altitudes,  though  last 
October  I  saw  a  flock  along  the  electric  poles  at  the  base  of  the 
Wasatch  Mountains  in  Davis  county;  and,  finally,  there  is  the  Red- 
headed wooapecker  (Melanerpes  erythrocephalus)  which  is  so  scarce 
that  I  can  hardly  consider  it  a  Utah  bird,  having  discovered  but  a 
single  specimen,  one  taken  twenty  miles  north  of  Salt  Lake. 

The  Red-shafted  woodpecker  (Colaptes  Mexicanus)  is  by  far 
the  most  common  of  our  Utah  tappers — it  is  he  that  is  dear  to  the 
heart  of  the  schoolboy,  and  interesting  and  companionable  to  the 
lonely  rancher; — therefore  we  choose  him  as  the  subject  of  this 
paper,  as  the  emblem  of  his  family.  On  account  of  his  habit  of 
pecking  a  hole  through  the  gable  and  making  his  home  in  the 
dwelling  of  man  he  is  able  to  endure  the  hardest  winters;  and  it  is 
partly  to  emphasize  this  fact  that  this  writing  appears  at  this 
time. 

To  most  Utahns,  the  word  "woodpecker"  recalls  the  very 
bird  we  are  considering,  without,  as  a  rule,  bringing  to  mind  any 
true  name  for  him;  but  in  order  not  to  mistake  him,  we  shall  detail 
his  chief  colorings  and  characteristics. 

The  Red-shafted  Flicker  is  of  considerable  size  when  compared 
with  other  birds  of  the  orchard,  his  total  length  being  slightly 
over  a  foot.  A  long  bill  and  a  general  suffusion  of  orange  red 
readily  distinguish  him  in  flight,  though  while  sitting  silently  on  a 
branch,  he  may  be  mistaken,  any  time,  for  a  robin  or  a  mourning 
dove;  that  is,  if  seen  from  a  distance  of  fifty  yards  or  more. 

The  general  aspect  of  the  upper  surface  of  the  bird  is  black 
and  brown;  that  of  the  under,  orange  red,  white  and  black.  One 
of  the  most  noticeable  characteristics  of  this  flicker,  and  the  one 
from  which  it  gets  its  name,  is  the  fact  that  the  wing  quill  shafts 
are  all  orange  red,  almost  coral,  instead  of  black  as  ordinarily 
seen  there  in  our  feathered  neighbors.  The  back,  the  greater, 
lesser  and  middle  wing  coverts,  and  the  scapulars  are  all  light 
brown,  each  feather  being  barred,  however,  with  black.  The  pri- 
maries (largest  wing  quills)  and  secondaries  are  white  on  the  basal 
inner  webs,  though  in  the  secondaries,  this  marking  becomes  a  row 
of  white  spots  on  each  side  of  every  feather.  The  forth  primary  is 
the  longest;  the  first,  very  short. 


B4£  IMPROVEMENT  ERA, 

The  rump  is  pure  white,  though  the  upper  tail  coverts  are 
marked  with  alternate  Btripea  of  white  and  black. 

The  closed  tail  is  forked  at  the  end;  and,  when  nibbed  up- 
ward, is  of  very  resistant  web.  This  spiny  tail  is  used,  of  course, 
in  Bnpporting  the  flicker  on  perpendicular  trunks  and  limbs. 

The  closed  tail  is  black;  but,  when  opened,  it  shows  orange- 
red  basal  shafts  on  the  outer  four  quills,  the  terminals,  however, 
being  black.  This  variation  in  color  of  the  feathor  shafts  gives 
the  open  tail  a  very  pleasing  coloration  and  design. 

The  back  of  the  neck  and  the  throat  are  ash  color.  On  the 
breast  is  a  beautiful  black  crescent  strongly  contrasting  with  the 
ash  of  the  throat  and  the  mottled  appearance  of  the  abdomen. 
From  the  crescent  backward  over  the  whole  under  surface  of  the 
body  extends  a  series  of  black  round  dots  covering  a  dull  white. 

The  under  wing  coverts  are  white;  and  the  rest  of  the  under 
surface  of  the  wing  is  a  beautiful  light  orange  red,  which  shows 
most  conspicuously  when  the  bird  flies  overhead.  There  is  this 
same  rich  coral  on  the  under  tail  except  at  the  tip,  where  a  black 
margin  appears. 

There  are  on  each  foot  three  strong  toes  and  a  fourth  tiny 
one  on  the  inside  at  the  back.  The  only  difference  in  the  markings 
of  the  sexes  is  that  the  male  has  a  red  cheek  patch,  which  in  the 
female  is  a  mere  brown  tinge  about  the  eye  and  the  base  of  the 
bill. 

On  the  whole  the  under  surface  of  the  Flicker  is  handsome 
indeed;  while  the  upper  is  a  good  example  of  protective  coloring. 

The  Flicker's  tongue  is  round,  barbed  and  as  long  as  a  man's 
finger.  The  little  ant  must  crawl  in  a  grub  hole  a  long  way  before 
he  gets  out  of  reach  of  this  hungry  prober — the  longest  tongue  to 
be  found  among  all  of  the  North  American  woodpeckers. 

The  Red-shafted  Flicker  is  found  in  practically  all  of  that 
territory  lying  between  Mexico  and  Canada,  and  the  Rocky  Moun- 
tains and  the  Pacific. 

The  habits  of  the  Flicker  are  useful  and  interesting.  It  has 
been  said  to  be  shy;  but  my  experience  teaches  the  opposite. 
Years  ago  I  learned  to  love  him,  for  he  was  accustomed  to  beat 
such  a  loud  tattoo  on  the  school  house  that  our  teacher  frequently 
permitted  us  boys  to  go  down  and  frighten  away  the  inconsiderate 


SOME  UTAH  BIRDS.  349 

creature.  His  drumming  was /however,  so  similar  in  sound  to  our 
nocturnal  "tic-tacking"  with  niched  spools  on  windows,  that  I  felt 
even  then  a  certain  sympathy  for  him  and  a  secret  liking  of  the 
irony  of  his  diurnal  disturbance.  I  have  frequently  seen  a  Flicker 
alight  upon  the  building  and  clatter  at  his  hole  while  all  about 
were  noisy  children  at  recess.  If  the  bird,  in  some  localities,  ap- 
pears to  be  shy,  it  is  very  likely  because  Indians  and  boys  hunt  it 
persistently  for  its  delicately  colored  feathers. 

The  Flicker  is  quite  as  terrestrial  as  arboreal, being  as  fond  of 
a  dust  bath  as  are  the  domestic  birds. 

His  song  is  varied  and  strong.  Sometimes  he  utters  a  "quap! 
quap!  quap!"  in  low  guttural  tone;  but  most  frequently  during  the 
day  he  gives  vent  to  a  harsh  stridulous  "ker-ip,  ker-ip."  In  the 
Springtime,  however,  his  call  consists  of  an  indefinite  number  of 
"took!  took!  took!  took!  tooks!"  resembling  the  call  of  a  hen,  but 
being  shriller  and  quicker. 

The  nest  of  this  bird  may  be  found  at  a  height  varying  from 
two  to  seventy  feet  above  the  ground.  It  consists  of  a  cavity  chis- 
eled out  of  a  dead  stub  or  live  tree  trunk  to  a  depth  of  one  to  two 
feet.  Apple  orchards  seem  to  be  preferred,  but  occasionally  one 
may  find  a  nest  hole  in  a  post,  a  telegraph  pole,  or  an  embankment. 
The  holes  made  in  houses  are  usually  for  winter  homes,  not  for 
nesting  purposes.  There  is  no  lining  or  down  in  the  nest,  the  bits 
of  wood  pecked  from  the  tree,  forming  a  sufficiently  soft  bed  for 
the  little  ones. 

The  assiduity  manifested  by  the  parent  birds  in  cutting  out 
their  nest  is  truly  remarkable.  With  surprising  sagacity,  they  dis- 
cover a  hollow  limb  or  trunk  under  a  perfectly  sound  bark;  then, 
alternating,  they  proceed  to  peck  at  the  hole  for  days  until  the 
task  is  done.  The  male  and  female  are,  at  all  times,  affectionate; 
and,  especially  at  the  nest-building  time,  do  they  encourage  each 
other  with  every  possible  action  and  note  of  endearment.  Some- 
times they  become  so  occupied  in  their  work  that  one  can  hear 
them  tapping  late  into  the  night.  This  nest-boring  usually  takes 
place  between  the  first  and  fifteenth  of  May;  and  from  four  to  ten 
white  glossy  eggs  are  deposited  by  the  first  of  June. 

Two  broods  are  raised  in  a  year.  If  a  nest  of  fledglings  is 
disturbed,  the  parents  fly  about,  uttering  shrill  squeaking  notes 


350  IMPROVEMENT  ERA. 

varied  only  with  an  occasional  guttural  or  gurgling  tone.  The 
young,  themselves,  hiss  like  a  cat. 

When  the  birds  have  flown,  the  parents  occasionally  fill  up 
the  opening  to  the  nest;  but,  usually,  a  new  hole  is  bored  each 
year,  for  no  matter  how  hard  the  wood,  the  Flicker  seems  able  to 
make  the  tiny  chips  fly  with  his  strong  persistent  bill. 

Most  of  the  young  Flickers  have  a  tinge  of  red  on  their  head 
tops  and  a  nuchal  crescent  of  red;  but  these  markings  which,  with 
variations  in  color,  are  characteristic  of  nearly  all  young  wood- 
peckers, are  merely  embryonic,  and  disappear  with  maturity. 

The  economic  value  of  the  Red-shafted  Flicker  is  a  subject 
replete  with  interest  and  instruction,  for  though  to  a  certain  ex- 
tent frugivorous  in  his  eating,  by  far  the  greater  part  of  his  annual 
fare  consists  of  insects,  which  are  subversive  to  the  interest  of 
man. 

Fifty-six  per  cent  of  the  Flicker's  yearly  diet  is  made  up  of 
ants  {Formicidae) — a  fact  which  is  as  astonishing  as  it  is  gratify- 
ing. Ants  are  small  but  their  destructive  power  in  the  aggregate 
is  enormous.  Not  only  are  they  wood-borers,  but  they  perpetuate 
plant  lice  or  aphides,  which  work  inestimable  injury  to  the  agricul- 
turist of  this  country.  Millions  and  millions  of  dollars'  worth  of 
vegetation  lost  through  the  aphid !  —such  is  the  annual  complaint 
of  the  farmers. 

Professor  Comstock  says  in  his  Manual  of  the  Study  oj  Insects, 
page  157: 

It  is  easy  to  see  what  benefit  ants  derive  from  this  association  with  plant 
lice,  and  how  they  should  learn  that  it  is  worth  while  for  them  to  care  for  their 
herds  of  honey  producing  cattle.  Little  has  been  done,  however,  to  point  out  the 
great  benefit  that  accrues  to  the  plant-lice  from  this  relationship.  It  seems  fair 
to  assume  that  the  plant- lice  are  greatly  benefited,  else  why  has  the  highly  special- 
ized apparatus  for  producing  the  honey  dew,  been  developed. 

Writers  long  ago  showed  that  ants  protect  plant-lice  by  driving  away  from 
them  lady-bugs  and  other  enemies.  Recently,  however,  Professor  Forbes  has  de- 
monstrated that,  in  certain  cases  at  least,  a  more  important  service  is  rendered. 
In  his  studies  of  the  corn  plant  louse,  he  found  that  this  species  winters  in  the 
wingless,  agamic  form  in  the  earth  of  previously  invested  corn  fields,  and  that  in 
the  Spring  the  plant-lice  are  strictly  dependent  upon  a  species  of  ant,  Lasins 
alienees,  which  mines  along  the  principal  roots  of  the  corn,  collects  the  plant-lice, 
and  conveys  them  into  these  burrows,  and  there  watches  and  protects  them.  With- 
out the  aid  of  these  ants,  the  plant-lice  were  unable  to  reach  the  roots  of  the  corn . 


SOME  UTAH  BIRDS.  351 

Ants  take  very  good  care  of  their  cattle  (aphides)  and  will  carry  them  to  new 
pastures  if  the  old  ones  dry  up.  They  also  carry  the  aphid  eggs  into  their  nests 
and  keep  them  sheltered  during  the  winter,  and  then  carry  the  young  plant-lice 
out  and  put  them  on  plants  in  the  spring. 

One  is  inclined  to  call  the  ant  a  treacherous  hypocrite,  for 
having  long  associated  him  with  all  that  is  industrious  and  system- 
atic, we  suddenly  find  his  assisting  to  undermine  the  very  means 
of  our  sustenance.  Thanks  to  the  Red-shafted  Flicker  for  making 
up  half  of  his  meal  with  ants. 

The  Flicker  destroys  also  beetles,  moths  and  miscellaneous  in- 
sects to  the  extent  of  about  twenty  per  cent  of  his  annual  fare. 
Only  one  per  cent  of  its  food  consists  of  grain  and  a  similar 
amount  is  of  fruit ! — a  fact  which  alone  shows  the  Flicker  to  be  one 
of  our  most  useful  birds.  Of  the  mite  of  fruit  taken,  a  large  part 
is  made  up  of  raspberries  and  blackberries,  usually  wild.  Besides 
this,  it  eats  hackberry,  poison  ivy,  sumac,  elder,  woodbine,  and 
pepper  tree.  Of  the  weed  seeds,  it  destroys  purslane,  thistle, 
amaranth,  acorn  and  wild  grass. 

The  snow  began  to  fall  in  big  feathery  flakes,  the  sun  retired 
behind  the  clouds;  and  as  I  again  sought  the  cosy  grate  of  the 
library,  I  thought,  what  a  shame  ever  to  destroy  a  bird  marked 
thus  by  beauty,  usefulness  and  power! 
Salt  Lake  City,  Utah. 


PEBBLES. 


Cast  into  a  placid  stream  a  stone,  however  small; 
Does  it  disappear,  or  leave  a  trace  that  it  did  fall? 
It  sinks,  but  leaves  behind  it  a  stream  deprived  of  rest, 
For  time  encircling  ripples  now  agitate  its  breast. 

Of  thoughts,  of  words,  of  actions,  we  should  most  careful  be; 
For  it  is  ever  so  with  all — with  all  humanity. 
We  know  not  how  our  pebbles  may  Life's  stream  agitate; 
Then  let  them  only — great  or  small — disturb  to  elevate. 

Grace  Ingles  Frost. 
Salt  Lake  City,  Utah. 


HERBERT   MELBOURNE. 

BY  EDWIN  F.  PARRY. 


Three  weeks  from  the  time  he  received  his  call,  Herbert  Mel- 
bourne was  on  his  way  towards  his  mission  field — Great  Britain. 
It  is  needless  to  relate  the  details  of  his  departure, or  the  incidents 
of  his  journey.  As  much  of  the  route  by  rail  had  been  gone  over 
by  him  before,  he  was  not  interested  so  much  in  the  scenery  by  the 
way  as  he  was  in  the  lives  and  experiences  of  his  fellow  mission- 
aries. With  them  he  became  very  sociable,  and  delighted  to 
interview  them  one  after  another,  as  opportunity  presented. 
This  proved  to  be  a  profitable  pastime,  and  offered  him  consider- 
able encouragement,  and  added  strength  to  his  faith  in  the  cause 
he  was  going  to  represent.  It  was  a  valuable  part  of  his  educa- 
tion and  preparation  for  usefulness  in  the  Lord's  vineyard. 

From  the  time  he  left  home,  our  young  missionary  began  to 
keep  a  daily  journal,  and  some  extracts  from  his  jottings  are  here 
reproduced. 

March  28,  190 — .  In  company  with  eight  missionaries  from 
various  parts  of  Utah  (including  one  from  Idaho)  I  left  Salt  Lake 
City  for  a  mission  to  Great  Britain.  Our  train  left  the  Oregon 
Short  Line  depot  at  7  p.  m.  A  number  of  my  friends  came  to  see 
me  off.  Friends  of  some  of  the  other  missionaries  were  also  there, 
making  quite  a  large  gathering. 

One  young  man  was  accompanied  by  his  sister  and  his  sweet- 
heart. Their  parting  with  him  was  very  affecting.  Both  girls 
burst  out  in  uncontrollable  sobs,  while  they  clung  to  him  hysteric- 


HERBERT  MELBOURNE.  353 

ally.  With  difficulty  he  broke  away  and  boarded  the  cars  as  the 
train  began  to  move.  Until  this  time  I  had  been  enabled  to  con- 
trol my  feelings,  but  the  sight  of  those  two  almost  distracted, 
broken-hearted  girls  caused  me  to  give  way,  and  I  could  not  hold 
back  the  tears.  Others  were  similarly  affected,  and  it  was  fully 
half  an  hour  before  any  of  us  said  scarcely  a  word.  We  appeared 
a  sad  looking  group. 

At  an  early  hour  I  stretched  out  on  my  reclining  chair,  but- 
toned up  my  overcoat  and  tried  to  sleep  as  best  I  could. 

Mar.  29. — A  cold  morning.  We  are  passing  over  the  dreary 
wastes  of  Wyoming.  Had  an  interesting  conversation  with  one  of 
my  companion  travelers.  He  is  on  his  way  to  his  native  country 
to  fill  a  mission.  He  was  born  in  Denmark  some  thirty  years 
ago.  At  the  age  of  twenty-two  he  met  some  of  our  missionaries, 
was  invited  to  read  their  tracts  and  attend  their  meetings.  In 
time  he  became  convinced  that  they  had  the  truth,  and  he  accepted 
the  gospel. 

As  soon  as  he  was  able  to  pay  his  emigration  he  went  to 
Utah.  This  was  about  six  years  ago.  He  was  then  unmarried. 
He  arrived  in^alt  Lake  City  late  one  evening,  alone,  having  very 
little  knowledge  of  the  English  language,  and  having  but  one 
acquaintance  there — a  returned  missionary  whom  he  met  at  his 
old  home.  He  found  a  place  to  stay  for  the  night;  and  the  next 
day  found  his  only  friend  living  near  the  outskirts  of  the  city. 

Since  his  return  from  a  mission,  his  friend  had  lost  faith  in 
the  doctrines  he  had  been  advocating,  and  sought  to  poison  the 
mind  of  the  young  immigrant  by  falsehoods  and  misrepresentations. 
But  the  new  convert  was  firm.  He  trusted  in  the  Lord,  and  was 
satisfied  with  his  faith.  He  obtained  work,  and  at  the  end  of  the 
week,  when  he  received  his  wages,  he  was  desirous  of  paying  his 
tithing.  Not  knowing  where  to  take  it,  he  asked  his  host — for  he 
was  still  living  with  this  same  friend.  But  the  latter  refused  to 
direct  him  where  to  go.  He  might  have  asked  his  employer,  but 
that  man  was  not  of  his  faith,  and  he  thought  it  useless  to  do  so. 
So  he  went  to  the  Lord  and  prayed  that  he  might  be  directed 
aright.  That  night  he  dreamed  he  was  led  to  a  certain 
place.  It  appeared  to  be  a  house  of  worship.  He  went  inside 
and  a  certain  man  was  pointed  out  to  him  as  the  one  to  whom  he 


854  IMPROVEMENT  ERA. 

might  pay  his  tithing.  The  dream  impressed  him,  and  he  recalled 
it  distinctly. 

The  next  Sunday  was  fast  day.  He  set  out  alone  to  find  a 
meeting  place,  and  was  directed  to  one.  He  entered,  and  there, 
sitting  at  a  table,  he  saw  a  man  whom  he  recognized  as  the  one  he 
beheld  in  his  dream.  To  him  he  went  with  his  contribution,  and 
found  the  man  to  be  the  bishop's  counselor,  and  he  was  then 
receiving  the  tithing  and  other  contributions  from  the  people,  pre- 
vious to  the  opening  of  the  meeting. 

He  continued  to  reside  in  Salt  Lake  City,  having  steady  em- 
ployment. He  was  there  without  relatives,  being  the  only  one  of 
his  kindred  in  the  Church,  so  far  as  he  knew.  He  was  sparing 
with  his  means  and  in  a  short  time  accumulated  enough  to  buy 
himself  a  little  home. 

In  the  meantime  he  made  the  acquaintance  of  a  young  lady  who 
was  also  alone  in  the  community  so  far  as  relatives  were  concerned. 
She,  too,  was  from  one  of  the  Scandinavian  countries,  and  had  left 
father,  mother  and  brothers  in  the  fatherland — all  members  of  the 
Church.  Their  conditions  were  similar;  their  faith  and  hopes 
were  alike;  they  had  the  same  aspirations;  they  were  nearly  of  the 
same  age:  was  it  any  wonder  that  there  sprung  up  in  the  hearts  of 
this  young  couple  an  attachment  for  each  other,  and  that  they 
united  their  interests  and  became  one? — united  for  life  here  and 
hereafter.  Soon  the  young  lady's  parents  and  family  were  sent 
for,  and  when  they  came  they  were  taken  care  of  by  their  faithful 
daughter,  and  their  new  son-in-law.  Happiness  was  in  their  cosy 
little  home.  Parents  and  children  were  contented.  Prosperity 
continued  to  smile  upon  them  in  their  humble  surroundings. 

The  days  and  years  glided  by.  Then  the  head  of  the  young 
family  was  called  upon  a  mission.  He  responded  cheerfully.  His 
wife  would  be  left  with  her  parents  and  would  be  able  to  earn  her 
own  living  and  help  her  parents  some  as  well.  He  was  gone  but 
a  few  months  when  his  dear  wife  was  taken  seriously  ill.  She 
failed  to  improve,  the  doctor  gave  her  no  hope,  so  the  missionary 
husband  was  sent  for.  He  came  home  in  time  to  comfort  his  wife 
for  a  few  short  days,  then  she  passed  away.  Filled  with  sorrow, 
but  with  unfaltering  faith  and  courage,  he  began  again  to  labor 
and  to  save.      Feeling  unsatisfied  at  not  having  performed  a  com- 


HERBERT  MELBOURNE.  355 

plete  mission,  his  desire  was  to  earn  means  to  keep  himself  for 
two  or  three  years  and  then  go  again.  It  was  also  his  wife's 
dying  wish  that  he  should  return  and  complete  his  mission  as  early 
as  he  could  after  she  passed  away.  He  had  accomplished  his  ob- 
ject so  far,  and  now  he  is  on  his  way  to  complete  the  labors  to 
which  he  was  called,  more  than  a  year  ago. 

I  greatly  admire  the  faith  and  courage  of  this  young  man. 
He  is  certainly  sincere,  and  his  reliance  upon  the  Lord  seems  not 
to  have  been  in  vain.  His  narrative  strengthens  my  faith,  and  I 
begin  to  see  more  in  "Mormonism"  than  ever  I  did  before. 

I  also  had  a  talk  with  another  of  my  companion  missionaries. 
He  told  me  of  some  of  the  hardships  he  had  endured,  and  of  the 
sacrifices  he  had  made  in  order  to  go  upon  his  mission.  But  he 
seemed  to  have  no  misgivings  as  to  the  result,  or  as  to  how  his 
family  would  fare  in  his  absence.  He  had  sold  half  of  his  little 
farm,  which  he  had  worked  hard  to  secure,  to  get  means  for 
his  journey,  and  for  the  support  of  his  family  in  his  absence.  Yet 
he  had  done  it  willingly,  esteeming  it  a  great  privilege  to  be 
called  even  at  this  cost.  I  feel  ashamed  to  regard  my  response  to 
the  call  as  a  sacrifice,  after  contrasting  my  circumstances  with 
those  of  my  companions.     Well,  I  am  learning. 

Mar.  30.  .     .     One  of  my  companions  is  Elder  Larsen, 

also  a  native  of  Denmark.  He  is  a  middle-aged  man,  happy  and 
good-natured.  I  listened  with  interest  to  his  narrative,  and  en- 
joyed his  open,  outspoken  manner,  and  his  quaint,  broken  English. 
Having  emigrated  to  this  country  after  he  was  upwards  of  thirty 
years  of  age,  he  has  not  completely  mastered  the  pronunciation  of 
English  words,  although  his  vocabulary  is  of  good  range. 

He  was  raised  in  the  country  on  a  farm,  and  a  poor  farm  it 
was,  as  many  farms  are  in  his  native  land.  His  parents  were 
poor,  and  the  family  worked  hard  and  saved  scrupulously  in  order 
to  exist.  Having  been  trained  during  all  his  early  life  in  the  art 
of  saving,  those  habits  clung  to  him,  and  when  he  came  to  this 
country,  he  soon  began  to  accumulate  wealth  in  a  small  way  from 
his  hard-and  honestly-earned  means.  He  settled  in  one  of  the 
northern  towns  of  Utah,  where  first  he  hired  out  as  a  farm  hand. 
In  time  he  obtained  a  farm  of  his  own,  and  gradually  he  has  been 
accumulating  property,  and  now  is  regarded  as  one  of  the  most 


IMPROVEMENT  ERA. 

prosperous  farmers  and  fruit  raisers  in  the  community  where  he 
resides  when  at  home. 

He  was  too  poor,  he  says,  to  think  of  getting  married  while 
in  the  old  country,  and  that  is  hi?  excuse  for  not  getting,  a  wife 
till  he  was  between  thirty  and  forty  years  of  age.  Now  he  has  a 
family  of  eight  children,  ranging  from  the  age  of  three  to  twenty. 
His  two  oldest  children  are  boys,  and  they  are  capable  of  taking 
care  of  the  farm,  with  their  mother's  direction,  so  Elder  Larsen 
does  not  worry  about  his  home  affairs. 

''When  my  neighbors  learned  that  I  was  called  upon  a  mis- 
sion," said  he  to  me,  "one  remarked,  'I  guess  old  man  Larsen  will 
make  some  excuse  to  get  out  of  going.'  'Yes,'  said  another,  'he's 
too  close-fisted  to  spend  his  money  in  paying  his  own  way  as  a 
missionary  for  two  or  three  years;'  and  other  such  remarks  were 
made,  of  course,  not  in  my  presence,  but  I  heard  of  them  indi- 
rectly. Well,  I  am  no  preacher,  and  can  make  money  easier  than  I 
expect  to  be  able  to  make  converts  to  the  gospel,  but  I  just  made 
up  my  mind  to  fool  those  fellows,  and  so  I  wrote  and  told  the 
presidency  that  I  would  go.  You  see,"  he  continued,  "I  was 
taught  to  be  saving  when  I  was  a  boy.  It  was  absolutely  necessary 
to  be  sparing  in  order  to  live,  and,  of  course,  you  Yankee  people 
look  upon  us  foreigners  as  stingy.  Well,  we  can't  help  it.  Be- 
sides, if  it  wasn't  for  some  of  us  Danishmen  showing  you  Ameri- 
cans a  few  lessons  in  economy,  many  of  the  towns  of  Utah  would 
not  be  enjoying  such  prosperity  as  they  now  are. 

"When  I  first  went  on  my  farm,  some  of  the  people  said  I 
was  crazy  to  think  of  making  a  living  on  such  a  place.  But  I  am 
better  off  today  than  those  who  made  such  predictions.  Of  course, 
I  have  had  to  work  hard  to  do  this.  Well,  when  it  comes  to  going 
upon  a  mission ,  I  have  always  felt  that  I  would  gladly  accept  a 
call,  if  it  ever  came.  I  am  satisfied  that  the  gospel  is  true.  I 
have  seen  too  much  to  dare  to  deny  it.  I  have  witnessed  scores 
of  the  predictions  of  our  leaders  fulfilled,  and  I  know  they  must 
have  been  inspired  or  they  could  not  have  uttered  them." 

Then  he  went  on  to  relate  some  remarkable  instances  of 
divine  interposition,  which,  if  true,  are  sufficient  to  convince  any 
one.  I  have  read  of  some  similar  occurrences  in  some  of  our 
home  periodicals  and  other  publications,  but  never  before  have  I 


HERBERT  MELBOURNE.  357 

conversed  privately  with  any  one  who  has  told  me  of  such  personal 
experiences.  I  cannot  doubt  this  man's  sincerity,  nor  do  I 
believe  he  is  superstitious.  He  impresses  me  as  an  honest, 
sensible  and  practical  man.         ....... 

Mar.  31. — We  arrived  in  Chicago  this  morning,  and  after 
changing  cars  and  waiting  about  two  hours,  we  again  proceeded 
on  our  way  eastward.  In  getting  acquainted  with  my  fellow- 
missionaries,  I  find  they  are  men  of  varied  and  interesting  careers. 
Yesterday  afternoon  I  had  an  extended  conversation  with  Elder 
Graham,  a  Scotchman.  He  is  a  man  of  between  fifty  and  sixty 
years,  I  should  judge.  He  is  gray  and  venerable  in  appearance. 
(Most  of  the  missionaries  in  the  company  are  young  men — one  of 
them  is  not  yet  out  of  his  teens.) 

When  he  was  born,  there  lived  in  the  neighborhood  of  his 
parents'  home  a  member  of  the  "Mormon"  Church.  And  in  the 
presence  of  his  parents  and  the  older  children  of  the  family  this 
Latter-day  Saint  convert  predicted  that  the  child  would  some 
day  become  a  member  of  the  Church,  and  that  he  would  gather 
with  the  body  of  the  Saints  in  Utah.  This  did  not  please  the  par- 
ents, as  they  were  opposed  to  "Mormonism." 

In  time  the  incident  was  forgotten  by  the  family,  and  when 
the  child  grew  up  he  knew  nothing  of  the  prediction.  When  he 
was  about  forty  years  old,  he  received  the  gospel,  and  some  six 
years  later  he  prepared  to  go  to  Utah.  It  was  then  his  older 
sister,  for  the  first  time,  related  to  him  the  incident  that  occurred 
when  he  was  a  child;  and  now,  some  ten  years  since  arriving  in 
Zion,  he  is  on  his  way  back  to  the  home  of  his  child- 
hood to  preach  "Mormonism"  to  his  fellow  countrymen. 

We  have  a  man  in  our  company  who  has  filled  one  mission 
in  England,  and  is  now  on  his  way  to  fill  another  in  the  same  place. 
I  consider  his  conversation  as  valuable  because  of  his  experience 
in  the  field.  I  have  gathered  from  him  a  pretty  fair  idea,  as  I 
suppose,  of  what  I  may  expect  when  I  reach  my  destination.  I 
observe,  however,  that  returned  missionaries  as  a  rule,  dwell 
upon  the  pleasant  experiences  of  their  missions.  They  tell  in 
glowing  terms  of  their  triumphs  and  say  but  little  of  the  dis- 
couraging features.  Well,  perhaps  this  is  all  right,  after  all.  I 
suppose  it  is  natural,  anyway.     Being  elated  with  their  successes 


358  IMPR 0  VEMENT  ERA . 

they  forget  all  their  difficulties  and  failures.  Then,  too,  they 
may  have  a  purpose  in  picturing  to  us  the  bright  side,  so  that  we 
will  take  courage. 

This  elder  of  whom  I  speak,  Brother  Whitley,  although  a  hum- 
ble man,  of  very  meagre  education,  evidently  performed  a  good 
work,  and  was  abundantly  blest  in  his  labors.  He  and  a  compan- 
ion were  sent  to  a  new  district  some  six  months  after  his  arrival 
in  England.  There  were  no  Saints  in  the  place  at  the  time  they 
began  their  labors.  They  were  both  short  of  means,  and  as  for 
himself,  he  did  not  have  enough  to  pay  for  his  board,  and  they  saw 
no  prospects  of  getting  money  to  hire  a  hall  in  which  to  hold 
meetings.  But  they  were  not  discouraged.  They  labored  dili- 
gently, calling  upon  the  people  whenever  they  felt  led,  and  holding 
out  door  meetings  in  the  streets.  They  soon  made  friends,  and 
some  of  these  friends  became  converts  and  applied  for  baptism. 
Other  friends  were  slow  to  accept  their  message,  but  were  not 
slow  to  assist  them  with  means.  They,  without  being  solicited  to 
do  so,  proffered  to  pay  for  the  renting  of  a  hall  for  meeting  pur- 
poses. 

Elder  Whitley  told  of  an  instance  where  one  of  his  friends 
came  to  him  one  morning  and  handed  him  ten  shillings  with  the 
remark  that  the  previous  night  he  had  dreamed  that  he  (Elder  W.) 
was  in  distress  and  needed  financial  assistance.  It  was  true  that 
he  was  in  need,  but  he  had  not  intimated  to  any  one  that  such  was 
the  case,  although  he  prayed  to  the  Lord  for  assistance;  and  the 
amount  he  received  was  quite  sufficient  for  his  purpose. 

Soon  after  this,  a  friend  was  raised  up  who  was  well-to-do. 
He  was  led  to  inquire  of  Elder  W.  as  to  his  circumstances,  and 
reluctantly  the  elder  told  him  of  his  condition.  The  friend  then 
gave  him  to  understand  that  he  need  not  be  any  longer  embar- 
rassed for  want  of  funds,  that  he  would  supply  him  as  long  as  he 
needed  anything,  and  did  so:  and  yet  he  was  not  in  the  Church, 
and  did  not  join  the  Church  while  Elder  W.  remained  in  the  mis- 
sion, but  was  true  to  his  word  to  the  last.  The  result  was,  a  good 
sized  branch  was  raised  up  in  that  place.  Elder  W.  had  the  satis- 
faction of  baptizing  some  seventeen  souls  while  there. 

Hearing  such  narrations  from  the  lives  of  those  who  were  par- 
ticipants in  the  incidents  is   faith-promoting    and   encouraging. 


HERBER  T  MELBO  URNE.  359 

One  of  my  companions  is  a  young  man  from  the  southern  part 
of  Utah.  His  name  is  Brierly.  He  was  born  in  England.  At  the 
age  of  nineteen  he  left  his  home  and  went  to  Australia.  He  re- 
mained there  for  several  years,  moving  from  place  to  place, 
and  corresponded  with  his  parents  from  time  to  time,  and  sent 
means  to  them  occasionally.  Then  he  became  dissatisfied  with  the 
country  and  went  to  California,  and  from  California  to  Utah. 

He  had  learned  very  little  about  the  Latter-day  Saints,  and 
had  paid  no  attention  to  what  he  had  heard  about  them  until  he 
reached  their  country.  But  when  brought  in  contact  with  them, 
his  interest  was  awakened .  He  attended  their  meetings  in  the 
settlement  where  he  lived,  became  acquainted  with  the  people, 
and  finally  joined  the  Church.  He  married  a  "Mormon"  girl  and 
made  himself  a  home  among  the  Saints  in  the  little  town 
where  he  first  settled.  The  restless  spirit  that  had  possessed  him 
left,  and  he  was  content  to  remain  where  he  was.  Then  he  began 
to  realize,  as  he  believed,  that  it  was  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  oper- 
ating upon  him  that  caused  him  to  become  restless,  and  to  wander 
about  the  world,  although  he  was  not  especially  in  search  of  re- 
ligious truths.  He  was  not  interested  in  the  religions  taught  in 
his  native  place,  but  had  little  if  any  hope  of  finding  anything 
better. 

Now  that  he  had  found  the  truth, he  was  anxious  that  it  might 
be  carried  to  his  parents.  But  unfortunately  he  had  lost  their 
address.  While  he  was  in  Australia  they  moved  to  another  town. 
They  wrote  him  about  it,  but  he  lost  the  letter  and  forgot  the 
address.  He  had  sent  one  letter  addressed  to  the  place 
to  which  he  thought  they  had  moved,  without  giving  the  street 
number,  thinking  it  might  possibly  reach  them.  He  received  no 
answer,  however,  and  concluded  that  the  letter  failed  to  reach  his 
parents  directly  or  indirectly,  and  they,  of  course,  heard  nothing 
from  him. 

It  is  now  eleven  years  since  he  left  his  parents'  home.  But  as 
he  is  now  going  to  England  as  a  missionary,  he  expects  to  find 
them  if  they  are  living. 

"It  will  surprise  them,"  he  remarked,  "to  find  their  wander- 
ing boy  returning  to  them  as  a  missionary,  for  I  do  not  believe 
they  ever  even  thought  of  me  becoming  a  preacher." 


360  IMPROVEMENT  ERA. 

I  became  interested  in  Brother  Brierly's  narrative  and  asked 
him  to  write  me  after  he  found  his  parents  and  tell  me  about  it. 
To  me  his  story  is  romantic,  or  I  fancy  it  will  be  when  complete, 
providing  it  ends  happily.  . 

April  12,  H>0— .  We  are  nearing  the  end  of  our  sea  voyage. 
We  are  now  sailing  off  the  west  coast  of  Ireland.  It  is  a  beautiful 
day,  although  the  wind  is  cold.  We  can  see  some  of  the  villages, 
with  their  whitewashed  cottages,  along  the  coast. 
Last  night  a  concert  was  held  in  the  dining  room  for  the  benefit  of 
the  sailors'  home.  I  was  invited  to  take  part  on  the  program.  As  I 
had  not  recited  anything  in  public  for  over  a  year,  I  felt  timid  about 
acceping  the  invitation.  But  thinking  it  might  do  some  good  in 
creating  a  favorable  impression  towards  us  among  the  passen- 
gers, I  promised.  As  a  missionary  sent  in  the  Lord's  service,  I 
went  to  my  state  room  during  the  afternoon  and  asked  the  Lord 
to  help  me  in  performing  my  humble  part  in  the  evening's  per- 
formance. The  result  was  my  recitation  created  much  favorable 
comment,  not  so  much  from  the  character  of  the  piece  recited, 
but  from  the  fact  that  the  reciter  was  a  "Mormon."  While  some 
of  the  pasengers  on -board  have  been  friendly  and  sociable  with  us 
during  the  whole  voyage,  others,  knowing  we  are  "Mormons,"  have 
kept  aloof,  and  have  had  nothing  to  say  to  us.  This  morning, 
however,  one  of  the  latter  class,  a  lawyer,  shook  hands  with  me 
most  heartily,  congratulated  me  very  highly  on  my  reciting,  said  it 
was  the  finest  he  ever  heard,  and  wanted  to  know  where  I  had 
studied.  I  then  had  an  opportunity  of  telling  him  some  little  of 
my  history,  and,  of  course,  I  related  to  him  the  nature  of  our 
present  mission  and  explained  to  the  best  of  my  ability  some  of  the 
principles  of  our  belief.  Later,  another  gentleman— one  very 
pompous  and  dignified,  who  hitherto  had  not  deigned  to  pass  the 
time  of  day  with  any  of  us— approached  me  very  pleasantly  and 
made  many  inquiries  respecting  our  people  and  our  doctrines. 
Feel  as  though  my  mission  work  had  already  begun,  for  I  believe, 
some  prejudice  has  been  removed  by  the  conversation  I  have  had 
this  day. 

[to  be  continued.  I 


VISIT  TO  AND  LEGEND  OF  THE  VOLCANO 
KILAUEA. 


BY  ELDER  E.  WESLEY  SMITH. 


During  the  Christmas  holidays,  A.  A.  Eliason  and  Gordon  T. 
Hyde,  of  the   West  Maui   conference,  and   W.  Laroy  Farr   and 
Kenneth  Henrie,  of  the  South  Hawaii  conference,  were  given  per- 
mission to  come  to  Hilo  city, 
by    the     mission    president, 
Elder    Samuel    E.     Woolley. 
While  here  it  was  my   priv- 
ilege, in  company  with  them 
and  companions,    Marvin   E. 
Pack ,  Jr. ,  J .  Claude  Knell  and 
Samuel   W.    Clark,   to   view 
one  of  the  seven  wonders  of 
the  world,  ''The   active  vol- 
cano of  Kilauea." 

Thinking  a  brief  descrip- 
tion of  our  trip,  and  what  we 
saw  while  there,  might  per- 
haps be  of  interest  to  some 
of  the  Era  readers,  I  feel  it 
a  great  privilege,  also  a  duty, 
to  be  able  to  comply  with  the 
request  made    by   the   Era, 

some  few  months  ago,  for  missionaries  laboring  in  the  field  to 
contribute  to  its  columns,  by  sending  a  short  synopsis  of  our  trip 
and  an  account  of  the  ancient  '  'Meles  of  Pele"  together  with  a 
few  pictures. 


The  Volcano  House. 


86a 


IMPROVEMENT  ERA. 


Hilo  city  is  located  on  the  east  side  of  the  island  of  Hawaii, 
and  is  the  second  largest  city  in  the  Hawaiian  group.  It  has  a 
population  of  thirteen  thousand,  and  is  a  very  beautiful  seaport 
town,  with  a  well  formed  bay.  I'pon  arriving  in  fight  of  Hilo, 
one  is  entranced  by  its  grandeur.  The  coast  line  is  very  precip- 
itous; the  walls  standing  out  with  great  boldness,  from  one  hun- 
dred to  one  thousand  feet  in  height.  These  cliffs  are  covered 
with  a  dense  growth  of  tropical  plants,  such  as  vines,  ferns,  wild 


Standing— Gordon  T.  Hyde,  A.  A.  Eliason.  J   Claude  Knell,  W.  Larr,y  Farr. 
Sitting— Samuel  W.  Clark,  E   Wesley  Smith,  Marvin  E.  Pack,  Jr.,  Kenneth  Henrie. 


bananas,  the  lauhala  tree,  etc.,  with  here  and  there  a  beautiful 
waterfall  leaping  through  the  air  with  much  ease  and  grace,  to  be 
caught  up  by  the  strong  trade- winds  and  carried  off  into  spray. 
Below  this  grand  view  can  be  seen  the  beautiful  deep-blue  ocean, 
which  rolls  and  dashes  into  the  shore  with  much  force,  sending 
the  white  foam  several  yards  into  the  air. 

We  boarded  the  railroad  train  and  rode  a  distance  of  twenty- 
two  miles  inland  from  this  picture  of  Mother  Nature's  grand 
work,   passing   through    one    of    the  largest   sugar   cane   fields 


VISIT  TO  AND  LEGEND  OF  THE  VOLCANO  KILAUEA.     363 

on  the  Hawaiian  islands.  It  extends  three  to  four  miles  inland 
from  the  sea,  and  there  meets  with  the  dense  forest  belt;  it  also 
extends  along  the  shore  as  far  as  the  eye  can  see. 

Mouna  Kea  and  Mauna  Loa,  two  of  the  highest  mountains 
on  these  islands,  rise  some  thirteen  thousand  nine-hundred  feet 
above  this  dense  tropical  growth.  Mauna  Kea,  which  is  the  high- 
est, wears  a  cap  of  snow  nearly  the  year  round  and  presents  a  most 
beautiful  view,  dressed  in  its  robe  of  green  and  white.      Mauna 


The  Volcano  Road. 


Loa  is  the  home  of  the  goddess,  "Madam  Pele."  One  is  almost 
able  to  picture  himself  in  the  fertile  valleys  of  dear  old  Utah, 
when  looking  at  the  gray  head  of  Mauna  Kea. 

Arriving  at  Glenwood,  the  twenty-two  mile  station,  we  left 
the  train  and  walked  the  remaining  distance  of  nine  miles  to  the 
volcano  house,  which  is  located  on  the  brink  of  the  great 
crater. 

The  road  along  which  we  walked  runs  through  the  great '  'Ohia" 
forest,  with  its  grand  scenery.  Great,  tall  trees,  arise  on  each 
side  of  the  roid,  interlaced  with  vines  rich  with  clustering  crimson 
flowers.      High  on  the  moldering  limbs  of  the  oldest  trees,  grow 


864 


IMPROVEMENT  ERA. 


the  bright  green,  clustering  leaves  of  the  bird's-nest  fern,  tree- 
ferns  from  five  to  thirty  feet  high;  wild  beiries  and  roses  grow  all 
along  the  way.  The  refreshing  coolness  of  the  woodland  shade, 
the  vivid  beauties  of  the  colors  in  which  we  bathed  our  eyes,  the 
strange  novelty  and  wildness  of  everything,  completely  intoxicated 
us.  It  was  a  scene  of  enchantment  which  we  were  sorry  to  leave 
when,  about  eleven  o'clock,  we  emerged  from  the  wood  and 
found  ourselves  at  the  hotel,  at  an  elevation  of  four  thousand 
nine  hundred  feet  above  the  sea  level. 


The  "Little  Terror,"  within  the  Floor  of  Kilauea. 


After  refreshing  ourselves  and  making  arrangements  for 
rooms,  etc.,  we  got  some  lanterns  and  canteens  of  water  and 
started  to  descend  into  the  crater.  On  reaching  the  brink  of  the 
large  crater  we  were  almost  overcome  with  wonder.  There  was 
an  immense  hole  over  nine  miles  in  circumference  and  about  a 
thousand  feet  deep,  an  enormous  promontory  covered  with  forest 
trees.  Way  below  us  was  the  floor  of  Kilauea  which  looked  quite 
smooth  and  even.  Steam  and  sulphur  clouds  arose  from  the  fis- 
sures and   crevices,  and  in  the  distance  we  could  see  the  glare  of 


VISIT  10  AND  LEGEND  OF  THE  VOLCANO  K1LAUEA.    365 

the  fire,  which  came  from  the  active  pit  of  Halemaumau.  We 
started  down  the  narrow  incline  that  wound  in  and  out  through 
the  shrubbery  and  over  precipices.  After  a  most  exciting  trip, 
we  found  ourselves  at  the  bottom.  This  broad  floor,  which  from 
above  had  appeared  so  level  and  smooth,  proved  to  be  exceedingly 
rough,  with  broken  lava,  crossed  in  every  direction  by  fissures,  of 
which  some  were  too  wide  to  be  jumped,  some  were  filled  with 
steam  and  sulphurous  vapor,    which  told  us  we  were  on  dangerous 


The  Active  Pit  as  Seen  at  Night      Walls  220  Feet  High. 


ground.  We  followed  the  small,  narrow  trail  over  this  floor  for 
three  miles,  visiting  the  following  places  of  interest:  "The  Devil's 
Picture  Frame,"  a  place  where  molten  lava  flowed  over  an  em- 
bankment about  six  feet  high,  in  such  a  way  that  a  number  of 
picture  like  frames  were  made;  "Madam  Pele's  Kitchen,"  a  circu- 
lar hole  in  the  lava  out  of  which  a  great  amount  of  smoke  and 
steam  are  constantly  pouring;  and  the  "Little  Terror,"  an  ex- 
tinct blow-hole,  named  so,  I  suppose,  from  its  appearance. 

Coming  up  to  the  edge  of  the   active   pit,   a   most  beautiful 
sight  met  our  eyes.     Here  was  a  big  hole  two  hundred  and  twenty 


36(5  IMPROVEMENT  ERA. 

feet  deep,  covering  an  area  of  twenty-five  acres;  in  the  bottom  of 
this  abyss  was  a  lake  of  fire.  This  was  a  circular  pool,  covering 
an  area  of  four  acres.  Its  whole  mass  was  in  motion,  furiously 
bubbling,  boiling  and  dashing  up  waves  of  red-hot  foam  and  spray. 
Sometimes  there  would  be  a  partial  calm,  as  of  the  sea  after  a 
storm;  a  considerable  portion  of  the  surface  would  then  cool  over 
with  smooth,  hard  lava  or  pahoehoe  but  in  a  few  minutes  there 
would  be  a  violent  outbreak,  and  the  broad  field  would  split  open 
across  its  whole  extent,  allowing  the  melted  rock  to  ooze  through 
the  crevices,  like  water  coming  up  over  the  ice  on  a  river,  during 
a  spring  freshet.  Huge,  flat  cakes  of  solid  lava  would  tilt  up  on 
end,  slowly  turn  over,  and  finally  disappear  in  a  tremendous  whirl- 
pool of  fiery  surf  thrown  up  from  below.  This  exhibition  was  being 
continually  renewed  all  over  the  lake;  we  stood  chained  to  the 
spot,  and  lost  in  admiration  of  the  awful  spectacle.  The  heat  and 
fumes  were  so  strong,  we  were  forced  to  retreat  to  a  place 
deemed  a  safer  point  of  observation;  and  there  we  remained, 
watching  the  jets  of  molten  metal  as  they  flew  into  the  air.  chas- 
ing one  another  like  genuine  fire-fiends,  in  a  wild  dance  all  over 
the  glowing  space.  As  night  came  on,  this  molten  mass  grew 
brighter,  and  the  coloring  was  most  beautiful.  We  remained 
here  until  ten  o'clock,  when  we  forced  ourselves  to  leave  this 
wondrous  work  of  Mother  Nature.  Lighting  our  lanterns,  we 
gathered  up  our  specimens  obtained  during  the  day,  and  began  to 
retrace  our  steps  over  the  brittle  lava  towards  the  ascent  out  of 
the  pit.  Having  climbed  the  narrow  trail,  we  went  to  the  hotel, 
a  very  tired  band  of  young  men,  ready  to  turn  in  for  a  good 
night's  rest,  and  to  dream  of  the  wonders  of  the  day.  The  fol- 
lowing morning  we  made  a  last  survey  of  the  beautiful  surround- 
ings, and  feeling  well  repaid  for  our  trip,  returned  to  Hilo. 

THE  LEGEND  OF  THE  VOLCANO  KILAUEA,    1175-1380  A.  D. 

The  deity  most  feared  and  respected  on  the  island  of  Hawaii, 
the  largest  and  most  southern  island  of  the  group,  was  the  God- 
dess Pele.  Her  favorite  abode  was  supposed  to  be  in  the  crater 
of  the  volcano  Kilauea,  near  Mount  Loa  (Mauna  Loa).  She  was 
said  to  have  five  brothers  and  eight  sisters,  all  as  cruel  as  herself. 
One  brother  was  the  king  of  steam.  The  others  created  explosions, 


VISIT  TO  AND  LEGEND  OF  THE  VOLCANO  K1LAUEA.    367 

thunders  and  rains  of  fire.       They  moved  the  clouds,  hurled  red- 
hot  masses  of  lava,  and  managed  the  earthquakes. 

The  following  is  a  tradition  handed  down  by  the  priests  from 
one  generation  to  another,  and  will  show  not  only  the  terrible 
character  and  wonderful  powers  ascribed  to  this  goddess,  but  also 
the  strange  events  which  led  to  the  placing  of  this  woman  and 
her  family  among  the  gods  of  the  Hawaiians. 

The  tradition,  which  the  islanders  received  without  doubt- 
ing its  truth,  states  that  about  the  year  1175,  A.  D.,  the  Pele 
family  came  to  Hawaii  from  one  of  the  southern  islands.  The 
head  of  the  family  was  the  eldest  son,  Moho,  and  the  party  landed 
and  located  among  the  foot  hills  of  the  mountain  called  Mauna 
Loa.  The  mountain  was  nearly  fourteen  thousand  feet  high,  and 
the  crater  of  Kilauea,  near  its  southeastern  slope,  was  thirty  miles 
from  shore. 

From  this  crater  lava  had  flowed  down  to  the  sea,  and  the 
volcano  was  sending  out  ashes  and  steam.  There  were  earth- 
quakes, and  the  frightened  natives  had  deserted  the  valley.  But 
the  new-comers  did  not  seem  to  fear  any  of  these  dangers.  The 
natives,  therefore,  thought  they  must  be  under  the  special  protec- 
tion of  the  gods.  Soon  everything  they  did  was  regarded  as  su- 
pernatural. The  Pele  family  became  kahunas,  or  sorcerers,  of  a 
high  order. 

With  the  family  were  a  number  of  women,  and  about  thirty 
attendants.  Pele  was  the  most  audacious  and  bold  of  the  whole 
company.  She  had  f aught  with  her  father  in  the  wars  at  Samoa, 
when  he  was  slain,  and  with  her  own  hand,  had  killed  a  warrior 
who  tried  to  carry  her  off  as  his  captive.  She  was  very  beautiful. 
Her  brothers  were  devoted  to  her,  and  her  queenly  presence — for 
she  came  of  royal  blood— commanded  the  respect  and  homage  of 
all  who  approached  her.  The  little  colony  quietly  cultivated  their 
lands  and  lived  contentedly  and  without  fear  of  molestation. 

After  a  time  a  roving  chief  with  forty  or  fifty  reckless  com- 
panions landed  on  the  coast  near  the  Pele  colony.  The  name  of 
this  chief  was  a  word  meaning  Son  of  a  Hog.  (not  always  a 
term  of  reproach,  the  hog  being  a  sacred  animal)  and  he  had  be- 
come a  terror  to  all  the  islands.  His  tattooed  body  and  bristly 
hair  gave  his   otherwise  handsome  person  a  ferocious  and  forbid. 


368  IMPROVEMENT  ERA. 

ding  appearance,  so  that  his  presence  on  the  coast  was  very  un- 
welcome. 

He  heard,  however,  the  stories  of  the  wonderful  and  super- 
human powers  of  the  Pele  family,  and  of  the  enchanting  beauty 
of  Pele  herself.  He  visited  the  settlement,  was  hospitably  enter- 
tained, and  when  Pele  appeared,  he  treated  her  with  great  re- 
spect and  gallantry.  He  then  determined  to  marry  her.  He  did 
not  realize  how  ugly  he  looked.  He  only  thought  of  the  beauty  of 
Pele.     But  he  did  not  urge  suit  at  once. 

He  tried  to  make  himself  agreeable  to  the  princess,  who  did 
her  best  to  avoid  him.  Finally  he  made  a  proposal  of  marriage. 
It  was  decidedly  refused.  He  threatened  to  seize  her  by  force 
and  destroy  the  colony.    She  thereupon  defied  his  power. 

Being  now  full  of  wrath,  the  adventurer  waited  several 
days  for  the  moon  to  wane.  Then,  one  dark  night  he  and  his  com- 
panions secreted  themselves  near  the  scattered  huts  of  the  little 
colony,  and  at  a  given  signal  rose  up  and  massacred  every  man 
within  reach  of  their  weapons.  A  few  only  escaped.  The  women 
who  were  spared  ran  screaming  toward  the  house  of  Pele  and  her 
brothers,  who  were  purposely  saved  for  future  treatment. 

It  was  the  purpose  of  the  reckless  chief  to  surround  the 
home  of  the  surviving  family  the  next  day  and  capture  Pele  by 
force,  or  otherwise  bring  her  and  her  haughty  relatives  to  terms. 
Pele's  brother,  Moho,  was  wise  enough  to  foresee  the  plan  of  the 
assassin  and  escaped  with  the  family,  and  those  who  still  survived, 
to  a  cavern  in  the  hills  which  could  easily  be  defended. 

The  cave  was  of  volcanic  formation,  with  avenues  leading 
back  into  and  up  the  hill.  Boulders  of  lava  were  rolled  against 
the  only  entrance,  from  the  inside.  The  party  numbered  in  all 
seven  men  and  eighteen  women  and  children.  They  had  weapons 
and  plenty  of  provisions.  A  small  stream  of  pure  water  trickled 
down  from  the  rocks. 

Their  enemy,  the  ruthless  chief,  Ramapuaa,  soon  discovered 
their  retreat  by  following  a  dog  the  fugitives  had  left  behind.  A 
guard  was  set  to  watch  the  cavern.  The  chief  approached  the 
entrance  and  demanded  a  surrender,  promising  that  the  lives  of  all 
should  be  spared.  The  demand  was  refused  with  words  of  defi- 
ance, and  in  return  a  fierce  assault  was  at  once  begun  upon   the 


VISIT  TO  AND  LEGEND  OF  THE  VOLCANO  KILAUEA.     369 

entrance.  Several  of  the  assailants  were  wounded  by  spears, 
thrust  through  the  crevices  of  the  rocks.  Then  the  besiegers 
heaped  wood  and  leaves  before  the  opening,  in  order  to  suffocate 
those  within. 

The  draft  through  the  cavern  kept  the  inmates  from  harm, 
but  the  chief  of  the  marauders  approaching  too  near  the  entrance, 
received  a  sharp  spear  thrust  in  the  arm.  For  several  days  the 
assailants  worked  to  make  a  breach  at  the  top  of  the  cavern.  A 
large  hole  had  been  dug.  The  excavation  was  approaching  com- 
pletion, and  the  captives  seemed  doomed. 

Suddenly  the  earth  began  to  tremble  violently,  and  in  a  few 
moments  the  air  was  filled  with  ashes  and  smoke.  But  the  chief 
and  his  afrighted  followers  saw  a  still  more  appalling  sight.  As 
they  looked  up  the  valley,  which  was  a  narrow  gorge  above  the 
cavern,  they  beheld  coming  down  upon  them,  bursting  from  the 
hillside  and  pouring  down  the  ravine,  a  flood  of  hot  lava — a  torrent 
of  flame  a  hundred  feet  in  width,  its  advancing  crest  aflame  with 
burning  timber,  and  sweeping   before  it  an  avalanche  of  stones. 

In  dismay  they  fled  down  the  valley.  They  ran  past  the  de- 
serted huts  of  their  intended  victims,  past  the  foothills,  past  the 
cocoa  trees  that  fringed  the  beach.  Turning  back  their  eyes, 
they  beheld  the  awful  stream  of  fire  spreading  its  mantle  of  death 
over  the  valley  and  speeding  towards  the  coast. 

.Leaping  into  their  canoes,  they  plunged  through  the  surf  and 
swiftly  paddled  out  to  sea.  Enraged  at  his  escape,  Pele  ran  some 
distance  into  the  sea  and  hurled  after  him  large  stones,  which 
hissed  as  they  struck  the  waves.  But  the  chief  escaped  and 
found  his  way  back  to  the  island  of  Oihu  where  he  ended  his 
days.  As  they  lost  sight  of  the  coast,  Pele  disappeared,  and  they 
saw  that  the  ravine  where  the  cavern  was  situated  was  filled  with 
lava,  and  that  all  within  the  cave  were  buried  deep  by  the 
fiery  flood. 

But  the  people  did  not  believe  that  Pele  and  her  family  had 
perished.  They  declared  that  the  eruption  had  been  invoked  by 
her  to  drive  the  ruthless  invader  from  the  district,  and  that,  if  she 
permitted  her  lands  to  be  destroyed,  it  was  only  with  the  purpose 
in  view  of  taking  up  her  residence  in  the  crater  of  the  volcano. 

This   idea  became  the  general    belief   of   the  superstitious 


370  IMPROVEMENT  ERA. 

islanders,  and  in  another  generation  temples  were  built  to  Pele,  the 
Goddess  of  Fire,  and  priests  were  set  apart  to  her  service.  The 
wily  priests  took  advantage  of  the  credulity  and  fears  of  the  peo- 
ple, and  created  other  terrible  sisters,  adding  them  to  the 
original  family  of  Pele.  There  have  been  many  outbreaks  of  hot 
lava  issuing  from  subterranean  caverns  and  flowing  down  the  side 
of  Mouna  Loa,  within  the  past  century.  They  have  been  wit- 
nessed by  reliable  white  men,  and  records  have  been  kept  of  their 
appearance.  Scientific  observations  have  determined  their  move- 
ments and  the  size  of  the  streams. 

One  of  those  who  visited  the  scene  of  the  flow  of  1880  has  de- 
scribed his  first  glimpse  of  a  canopy  of  flaming  light  overhanging 
the  summits  of  the  mountain,  and  of  a  torrent  of  fire  of  intense 
brightness  streaming  down  its  slopes.  A  brilliant  flame-head  was 
seen  against  the  starlit  heavens,  and  the  stream  of  liquid  lava, 
three-fourths  of  a  mile  in  width,  rolled  along,  at  white  heat,  for 
forty  miles,  accompanied  by  flashing  gleams  and  detonations  like 
the  heavy  reports  of  a  hundred  cannon. 

No  wonder  that  the  natives,  with  such  legends  concerning 
this  terrible  deity,  were  more  afraid  of  her  than  of  any  other 
gods  or  goddesses. 

Hilo,  Hawaii.  

LIFE    INDEED. 

To  be  in  the  sunlight  of  success,  yet  feel  my  littleness;  to  be 
under  the  cloud  of  reverses,  yet  feel  my  strength;  to  have  the 
patience  of  faith  and  the  power  of  purpose;  to  know  the  pure  and 
love  it;  instinctively  to  know  a  lie  and  to  abhor  it;  and  hating  all 
lies,  to  be  so  near  the  fountain  of  truth  that  I  may  not  thirst  in 
vain;  to  square  my  soul  with  the  Infinite  each  hour  by  prayer;  to  be 
denied,  yet  still  believe;  to  love  others  much  and  to  be  loved  a 
little  in  return;  to  recognize  in  common  things, — the  song,  the 
flower,  labor,  laughter  and  bright  eyes,— the  tenderness  of  God; 
to  have  good  books,  and  so  good  thoughts;  to  feel  ever  in  my 
heart  the  promise; to  lookup, — to  smile, — this  were  life  indeed! 

W.  A.  Hyde. 

Pocatello,  Idaho. 


TO  THE  YOUNG  MAN  ON  THE  FARM. 

BY  MILTON  BENNION,  M.  A.,  PROFESSOR  OF  PHILOSOPHY,  UNIVERSITY 

OF  UTAH. 


"Cities  are  the  graves  of  human  species."  These  words  of 
Rousseau  may  be  extravagant,  but  they  are  not  wholly  devoid  of 
truth.  The  city  not  uncommonly  becomes  the  grave  of  a  whole 
family  in  the  course  of  a  few  generations.  On  the  other  hand, 
the  farms  steadily  renew  the  population  of  the  country  districts, 
and  at  the  same  time  pour  a  stream  of  recruits  into  the  cities  to 
renew  and  invigorate  business  and  professional  life. 

There  are  two  opposing  tendencies  in  human  nature,  both  of 
which  have  to  be  combatted.  One  is  that  of  mere  inertia,  a 
tendency  to  settle  down  in  whatever  situation  one  finds  himself, 
and  be  nothing  worth  while;  the  other  is  a  discontent  that  makes 
one  always  dissatisfied  with  his  calling.  "I'll  do  this  because  I 
have  to,  and  in  the  meantime  look  out  for  something  better,"  is 
the  characteristic  attitude  of  this  class. 

It  is  a  good  thing  for  a  person  to  be  able  and  willing  to  do 
anything  that  needs  to  be  done,  and  to  be  able  to  make  a  living  by 
following  an  occupation,  when  there  is  occasion  for  it,  that  is  not 
first  choice.  It  is,  however,  desirable  that  every  young  man 
decide  early  in  life  what  he  can  do  best  that  will  make  him  and  his 
a  living,  and  at  the  same  time  be  of  service  to  his  fellows.  If  it 
is  to  learn  and  follow  a  profession,  such  as  law,  medicine,  engin- 
eering, or  teaching,  very  well,  let  him  devote  his  energies  to  this 
end;  but  let  him  consider  well  beforehand  the  final  results  of  this 
course  to  himself  and  to  his  family. 

The  young  man  in  the  country  is  ko  frequently  attracted  by 


372  IMPROVEMENT  ERA. 

the  older  professions  because  of  the  vagueness  of  his  ideas  of 
them;  while  the  occupation  of  farming  seems  to  him  too  familiar 
and  commonplace.  It  is  not  known  to  him  as  the  new  profession 
of  agriculture. 

What  are  the  advantages  of  life  on  a  farm?     In  part  these : 

It  furnishes  opportunity  for  the  most  varied  mental  and  phys- 
ical activity,  and  for  the  development  of  a  stability  of  character 
unexcelled  in  other  vocations. 

It  calls  for  an  out-door  life  that  tends  to  develop  and  perpet- 
uate "a  sound  mind  in  a  sound  body."  This  soundness  of  mind  is 
not  restricted  to  the  intellect.  It  includes  also  sanity  of  feeling, 
a  right  attitude  toward  life,  the  surest  safeguard  against  suicide, 
insanity  and  crime. 

It  offers  the  best  opportunity  for  a  free  and  independent  life 
in  that  the  farmer,  who  owns  his  farm,  does  not  have  to  go  out 
hunting  a  job,  neither  does  he  have  to  cater  to  other  people.  He 
calls  no  man  master,  but  rules  his  own  affairs,  subject  only  to  the 
Lord  of  all  and  the  common  moral  law. 

The  extension  of  modern  conveniences  to  the  country  makes 
it  generally  possible  for  the  farmer  to  have  in  his  home  water 
connections,  telephone  service,  electric  lights  and  an  electric 
motor. 

Socially, he  is  provided  with  good  common  schools,  and  has,  or 
soon  will  have,easy  access  to  good  high  schools  for  the  education  of 
his  children.  It  requires  only  a  little  intelligence  and  energy  to 
enable  him  to  add  to  his  natural  advantages  the  best  that  the 
city  can  give. 

The  farm  provides  most  favorable  conditions  for  the  rearing 
of  a  family.  No  where  else  can  the  enemy  of  race  suicide  do 
such  a  flourishing  business  so  successfully  and  economically.  If 
this  seems  to  be  a  matter  of  little  consequence  to  a  young  man  as 
an  individual,  it  may,  nevertheless,  have  some  weight  when  he 
answers  the  question:  "What  can  I  do  that  will  be  of  lasting 
benefit  to  mankind?''  Add  to  this,  the  fact  that  in  mature  life 
probably  nothing  else  gives  more  enduring  satisfaction  to  a  man 
than  to  be  successful  in  bringing  .up  a  family. 

The  importance  of  agriculture  in  relation  to  the  prosperity 
and  stability  of  the  nation  has  received  substantial  recognition  in 


TO  THE  YOUNG  MAN  ON  THE  FARM.  373 

the  establishment  of  the  Department  of  Agriculture,  the  Agricul- 
tural Experiment  Stations,  Agricultural  Colleges,  and  Farmers' 
Institutes.  The  existence  of  these  agencies  must  be  added  to  the 
advantages  of  farming  as  an  occupation.  Given  the  inclination  to 
do  so,  a  young  man  can  easily  obtain  some  instruction  in  scientific 
agriculture.  Whether  he  gets  little  or  much  training  in  agricul- 
tural schools,  he  can  and  should  supplement  this  by  the  constant 
use  of  the  bulletins  of  both  the  Deparment  of  Agriculture  and  the 
Experiment  Stations.  A  good  local  farm  journal,  such  as  The 
Deseret  Farmer,  for  the  intermountain  district,  will  furnish  guid- 
ance in  the  use  of  this  material,  besides  giving  a  great  many  prac- 
tical suggestions  concerning  local  problems.  Thus  the  farmer  can 
always  be  in  touch  with  the  results  of  the  most  recent  and  careful 
investigations  in  agricultural  science. 

Forest  Dale,  Utah. 


CUMORAH. 

(For  the  Improvement  Era. 


One  of  time's  sublimest  pages  Now  you  come,  a  flood  of  glory 

Annal  thy  prophetic  dawn,  Streaming  o'er  your  visage  old: 

Voice  of  the  unstoried  ages,  With  their  prehistoric  story 

Tombstone  of  their  nations  gone !  Written  on  your  heart  of  gold ; 

Twice  a  people's  last  protection,  Teeming  with  the  gospel  leaven, 

Twice  the  witness  of  a  world  Lifted  by  an  angel  hand, 

In  the  arms  of  insurrection,  In  the  very  light  of  heaven, 

To  prophetic  ruin  hurled.  To  the  eyes  of  every  land. 

Raman  of  the  ancient  nation, 
The  Cumorah  of  the  last, 
From  your  bosom  comes  salvation, 
And  the  story  of  the  past! 

Theo.  E.  Curtis. 

Salt  Lake  City,  Utah. 


SELF-CONTROL.* 

BY   WILLIAM   GEORGE  JORDAN. 


IX— THE   MAJESTY  OF  CALMNESS. 

Calmness  is  the  rarest  quality  in  human  life.  'It  is  the  poise 
of  a  great  nature,  in  harmony  with  itself  and  its  ideals.  It  is  the 
moral  atmosphere  of  a  life  self-centred,  self-reliant,  and  self-con- 
troled.  Calmness  is  singleness  of  purpose,  absolute  confidence, 
and  conscious  power, — ready  to  be  focused  in  an  instant  to  meet 
any  crisis. 

The  Sphinx  is  not  a  true  type  of  calmness, — petrifaction  is 
not  calmness;  it  is  death,  the  silencing  of  all  the  energies;  while 
no  one  lives  his  life  more  fully,  more  intensely  and  more  con- 
sciously than  the  man  who  is  calm. 

The  Fatalist  is  not  calm.  He  is  the  coward  slave  of  his  en- 
vironment, hopelessly  surrendering  to  his  present  condition,  reck- 
lessly indifferent  to  his  future.  He  accepts  his  life  as  a  rudderless 
ship,  drifting  on  the  ocean  of  time.  He  has  no  compass,  no  chart, 
no  known  port  to  which  he  is  sailing.  His  self-confessed  inferior- 
ity to  all  nature  is  shown  in  his  existence  of  constant  surrender. 
It  is  not,— calmness. 

The  man  who  is  calm  has  his  course  in  life  clearly  marked  on 
his  chart.  His  hand  is  ever  on  the  helm.  Storm,  fog,  night, 
tempest,  danger,  hidden  reefs, — he  is  ever  prepared  and  ready  for 
them.  He  is  made  calm  and  serene  by  the  realization  that  in  these 
crises  of  his  voyage  he  needs  a  clear  mind  and  a  cool  head;  that 


*  From  Self- Control;  its  Kingship  and   Majesty.  Copyright  1889  and  190S 
by  Fleming  H.  Revell  Company. 


SELF-CONTROL.  375 

he  has  naught  to  do  but  to  do  each  day  the  best  he  can  by  the 
light  he  has;  that  he  will  never  flinch  nor  falter  for  a  moment; 
that,  though  he  may  have  to  tack  and  leave  his  course  for  a  time, 
he  will  never  drift,  he  will  get  back  into  the  true  channel,  he  will 
keep  ever  headed  toward  his  harbor.  When  he  will  reach  it,  how 
he  will  reach  it,  matters  not  to  him.  He  rests  in  calmness,  know- 
ing he  has  done  his  best.  If  his  best  seem  to  be  overthrown  or 
overruled,  then  he  must  still  bow  his  head, — in  calmness.  To  no 
man  is  permitted  to  know  the  future  of  his  life,  the  finality.  God 
commits  to  man  ever  only  new  beginnings,  new  wisdom,  and  new 
days  to  use  the  best  of  his  knowledge. 

Calmness  comes  ever  from  within.  It  is  the  peace  and  rest- 
fulness  of  the  depths  of  our  nature.  The  fury  of  storm  and  of 
wind  agitate  only  the  surface  of  the  sea;  they  can  penetrate  only 
two  or  three  hundred  feet,— below  that  is  the  calm,  unruffled  deep. 
To  be  ready  for  the  great  crises  of  life  we  must  learn  serenity  in 
our  daily  living.     Calmness  is  the  crown  of  self- control. 

When  the  worries  and  cares  of  the  day  fret  you,  and  begin  to 
wear  upon  you,  and  you  chafe  under  the  friction, — be  calm.  Stop, 
rest  for  a  moment,  and  let  calmness  and  peace  assert  themselves. 
If  you  let  these  irritating  outside  influences  get  the  better  of  you, 
you  are  confessing  your  inferiority  to  them,  by  permitting  them 
to  dominate  you.  Study  the  disturbing  elements,  each  by  itself, 
bring  all  the  will  power  of  your  nature  to  bear  upon  them,  and 
you  will  find  that  they  will,  one  by  one,  melt  into  nothingness,  like 
vapors  fading  before  the  sun.  The  glow  of  calmness  that  will 
then  pervade  your  mind,  the  tingling  sensation  of  an  inflow  of  new 
strength,  may  be  to  you  the  beginning  of  the  revelation  of  the 
supreme  calmness  that  is  possible  for  you.  Then,  in  some  great 
hour  of  your  life,  when  you  stand  face  to  face  with  some  awful 
trial,  when  the  structure  of  your  ambition  and  life-work  crumbles 
in  a  moment,  you  will  be  brave.  You  can  then  fold  your  arms 
calmly,  look  out  undismayed  and  undaunted  upon  the  ashes  of  your 
hope,  upon  the  wreck  of  what  you  have  faithfully  built,  and  with 
brave  heart  and  unfaltering  voice  you  may  say:  "So  let  it  be, — I 
will  build  again." 

When  the  tongue  of  malice  and  slander,  the  persecution  of 
inferiority,  tempts  you  for  just  a  moment  to  retaliate,  when  for 


376  IMPROVEMENT  ERA. 

an  instant  you  forget  yourself  so  far  as  to  hunger  for  revenge, — 
be  calm.  When  the  grey  heron  is  pursued  by  its  enemy,  the  eagle, 
it  does  not  run  to  escape;  it  remains  calm,  takes  a  dignified  stand, 
and  waits  quietly,  facing  the  enemy  unmoved.  With  the  terrific 
force  with  which  the  eagle  makes  its  attack,  the  boasted  king  of 
birds  is  often  impaled  and  run  through  on  the  quiet,  lance-like  bill 
of  the  heron.  The  means  that  man  takes  to  kill  another's  char- 
acter becomes  suicide  of  his  own. 

No  man  in  the  world  ever  attempted  to  wrong  another  with- 
out being  injured  in  return, — someway,  somehow,  sometime.  The 
only  weapon  of  offense  that  Nature  seems  to  recognize  is  the 
boomerang.  Nature  keeps  her  books  admirably;  she  puts  down 
every  item,  she  closes  all  accounts  finally,  but  she  does  not  always 
balance  them  at  the  end  of  the  month.  To  the  man  who  is  calm, 
revenge  is  so  far  beneath  him  that  he  cannot  reach  it, — even  by 
stooping.  When  injured,  he  does  not  retaliate;  he  wraps  around 
him  the  royal  robes  of  Calmness,  and  he  goes  quietly  on  his  way. 

When  the  hand  of  death  touches  the  one  we  hold  dearest, 
paralyzes  our  energy,  and  eclipses  the  sun  of  our  life,  the  calm- 
ness that  has  been  accumulating  in  long  years  becomes  in  a  mo- 
ment our  refuge,  our  reserve  strength. 

The  most  subtle  of  all  temptation  is  the  seeming  success  of 
the  wicked.  It  requires  moral  courage  to  see,  without  flinching, 
material  prosperity  coming  to  men  who  are  dishonest;  to  sec  poli- 
ticians rise  into  prominence,  power  and  wealth,  by  trickery  and 
corruption;  to  see  virtue  in  rags  and  vice  in  velvets;  to  see  igno- 
rance at  a  premium,  and  knowledge  at  a  discount.  To  the  man 
who  is  really  calm  these  puzzles  of  life  do  not  appeal.  He  is  living 
his  life  as  best  he  can;  he  is  not  worrying  about  the  problems  of 
justice,  whose  solutions  must  be  left  to  Omniscience  to  solve. 

When  man  has  developed  the  spirit  of  Calmness  until  it  be- 
comes so  absolutely  part  of  him  that  his  very  presence  radiates  it, 
he  has  made  great  progress  in  life.  Calmness  cannot  be  acquired 
of  itself  and  by  itself;  it  must  come  as  the  culmination  of  a  series 
of  virtues.  What  the  world  needs  and  what  individuals  need  is  a 
higher  standard  of  living,  a  great  realizing  sense  of  the  privilege 
and  dignity  of  life,  a  higher  and  nobler  conception  of  individuality. 

With  this  great  sense  of  calmness  permeating  an  individual, 


SELF-CONTROL.  377 

man  becomes  able  to  retire  more  into  himself,  away  from  the  noise, 
the  confusion  and  strife  of  the  world,  which  come  to  his  ears  only 
as  faint,  far-off  rumblings,  or  as  the  tumult  of  the  life  of  a  city 
heard  only  as  a  buzzing  hum  by  the  man  in  a  balloon. 

The  man  who  is  calm  does  not  selfishly  isolate  himself  from 
the  world,  for  he  is  intensely  interested  in  all  that  concerns  the 
welfare  of  humanity.  His  calmness  is  but  a  Holy  of  Holies  into 
which  he  can  retire  from  the  world  to  get  strength  to  live  in  the 
world.  He  realizes  that  the  full  glory  of  individuality,  the  crown- 
ing of  hi?  self-control  is, — the  majesty  of  calmness. 
[to  be  continued.] 


VICTORY. 

(For  the  Improvement  Era.) 


Unnumbered  the  myriads  encamped  in  the  vale, 
Their  gay  banners  streaming  over  idols  of  Baal; 

'Gainst  the  people  of  God  they  came  from  afar, 
But  they  sensed  not  the  Force  they  must  face  in  the  war, — 

'  'The  sword  of  the  Lord  and  of  Gideon. " 

Their  camels  were  laden  with  accoutrements  fine, 
Their  princes  and  nobles  were  flushed  with  new  wine 

From  the  vintage  of  Israel,  whose  fields  they  laid  low, 
Threat' ning  destruction — bah!  they  never  would  bow 

To  "th'  sword  of  the  Lord  and  of  Gideon." 

Oh,  proud  were  the  boastings,  aloud  they  proclaim 
Their  prowess  and  conquests;  how  easy  to  maim 

The  army  defensive  and  glut  on  the  spoil; 
But  they  knew  not  the  Pow'r  which  all  powers  could  foil; 

"The  sword  of  the  Lord  and  of  Gideon." 

The  ribaldry  over,  they  lie  down  to  rest, 

Each  man  with  his  shield  clasped  close  to  his  breast; 

With  dreams  of  fair  captives,  ha,  ha,  on  the  morn, 
The  victory  was  theirs;  and  they  laughed  it  to  scorn, 
"The  sword  of  the  Lord  and  of  Gideon." 

Lo!  they  are  startled  with  trumpets  full  blare, 
The  crashing  of  pitchers,  the  lamp's  vivid  glare; 

Before  the  mean  army  they  fly  in  dismay, 

Devouring  each  other  by  the  sword  on  the  way — 

"The  sword  of  the  Lord  and  of  Gideon." 
Salt  Lake  City,  Utah.  Ruth  May  Fox 


THE  TRAGEDY  AND  TRIUMPH  OF  YOUTH. 

BY   J.  E.  HICKMAN,   A.  M.,   PRESIDENT   OF  THE  MURDOCK   ACADEMY. 


V.— INSINCERITY  OF  THE  INTELLECT  THE  CURSE   OF 

THE  AGE. 

The  crying  need  of  the  age  is  not  more  truth,  but  a  disposi- 
tion to  apply  that  which  we  know  towards  the  perfecting  of  our 
lives.  The  hungering  for  and  the  loving  of  truth  is  sincerity  of 
the  intellect. 

In  my  frequent  interviews  with  erring  youth,  I  scarcely  ever 
find  one  who  does  not  absolutely  know  and  freely  confess  his  course 
is  wrong  and  will  lead  to  harm.  "Why  do  you  follow  this  course?" 
I  often  ask.  The  reply  generally  comes  back,  "I  don't  know/ 
The  truth  is,  they  love  bodily  and  mental  stimuli,  produced  through 
evil  society  and  questionable  conduct,  more  than  they  fear  results. 
The  present  pleasure,  regardless  of  consequences,  is  the  cause  of 
action.  The  present  age  is  running  mad  with  pleasures, — self  in- 
dulgences. The  curse  of  the  age  is  insincerity.  How  many  stop 
and  ask,  when  an  impulse  urges  to  act:  "Is  it  right?  What  will 
come  of  it?  Will  I  regret  it?"  Too  many  look  at  the  immediate 
desire,  and  seldom  if  ever  weigh  the  consequences. 

The  struggle  for  character  is  to  put  one's  self  in  harmony 
with  all  the  laws  of  life, — physical  and  spiritual.  To  be  out  of 
harmony  with  the  physical,  means  weakness  or  death;  out  of  har- 
mony with  the  spiritual,  means  stultification  or  agnosticism.  Both 
of  these  conditions  are  upon  us.  The  one  fills  groaning  hospitals 
and  untimely  graves;  the  other  empties  churches  and  fills  sa- 
loons. 

Man  is  prodigal  of  truth.  He  is  far  more  concerned  in  apply- 
ing it  to  the  forces  about  him  than  in  obeying  it.     The  engineer  is 


THE  TRAGEDY  AND  TRIUMPH  OF  YOUTH.  379 

deeply  concerned  that  every  part  of  the  machinery  shall  work  in 
harmony;  that  friction  be  reduced  to  a  minimum;  that  dust  and 
other  obstructions  be  eliminated.  In  fact  there  must  be  perfect 
adjustment  and  rhythmic  harmony  with  burr,  belt,  and  wheel. 
But,  with  himself,  he  often  acts  as  if  his  life, — body  and  spirit, — 
were  subject  to  no  law.  He  often  enslaves  his  body  with  deaden- 
ing narcotics  and  vicious  habits;  and  of  moral  and  spiritual  laws  he 
thinks  not  at  all.  Why  will  he  admire  a  beautiful  animal  that 
lives  the  perfect  law  of  its  creation  while  he  himself  disregards  all 
law?  This  seems  almost  incredible,  and  yet  it  is  a  lamentable  fact. 
Of  all  God's  works,  man  alone  falls  below  the  sphere  of  his  crea- 
tion. As  a  result,  in  spite  of  all  his  intelligence  and  possibilities, 
he  suffers  infinitely  more  than  does  the  animal. 

Animals,  forced  to  break  the  laws  of  life  as  man  freely  does, 
rapidly  degenerate  and  become  heirs  to  man's  nameless  ills.  Dogs 
forced  to  the  liquor  habit,  through  putting  alcohol  into  their  food, 
become  deformed, — crooked  and  shriveled-limbed,  hare-lipped, 
cross-eyed,  and  idiotic.  The  death  rate  becomes  very  great  before 
they  reach  their  maturity.  This  needs  no  comment.  Young  reader, 
apply  the  moral  to  the  human  family,  and  read  the  damning  story, 
then  answer:  Why  this  world  of  misery?  If  man  would  live  the 
physical  and  the  moral  laws  as  the  animal  lives  his,  reformatories 
would  disappear,  prisons  would  be  emptied,  insane  asylums  would 
crumble  with  disuse. 

When  man  learns  the  laws  of  his  creation  and  feels  them 
deeply  enough  to  live  them,  then  and  not  till  then,  will  he  live  to 
the  age  of  a  tree.  Then,  and  not  till  then,  will  children  grow  up 
as  calves  in  the  stall  with  nothing  to  molest  them  or  make  them 
afraid. 

The  integrity  of  the  intellect  is  the  fountain  head  of  patriot- 
ism, and  this  is  not  dependent  upon  a  great  and  mighty  nation 
for  its  development,  for  citizens  of  small  and  feeble  countries  are 
equally  devoted  in  their  patriotism.  Preeminently  is  this  true  of 
mountaineers  whose  mountains  shelter  their  huts.  Yes,  the  hum- 
blest home  with  virtue  and  devotion  is  a  divine  nursery  of  that 
rare  and  matchless  quality,— character. 

Virtue,  earnest  labor,  definiteness  of  purpose,  gratitude,  and 
great-heartedness  are  the  indispensible  factors  in  building  a  noble 


380  IMPROVEMENT  ERA. 

character.     Virtue  is  God's  stamp  upon  the  soul.     Who  dares  sell 
it  for  a  mess  of  pottage? 

Earnest  labor  keeps  out  idleDess  and  gives  stability.  Definite- 
ness  of  purpose  enables  one  to  reach  out  and  grasp  the  truths 
beyond.  Gratitude  is  ''the  memory  of  the  heart,"  and  without  it 
man  is  detestable.  Great-heartedness  causes  one  to  love  his  neigh- 
bor as  himself,  and  to  care  for  the  poor.  The  greater  the  soul, 
the  more  he  lives  for  his  fellow  men;  the  smaller  and  meaner  the 
being,  the  more  he  lives  for  self.  Without  these  virtues,  man  may 
be  likened  to  a  stagnant  slough  with  disease  and  death  swarming 
in  its  waters;  with  them,  to  a  limpid  stream  from  the  mountain 
heights,  watering  the  parched  earth,  giving  drink  to  the  thirsty, 
and  turning  the  wheels  of  industry. 

Character  has  often  been  symbolized  by  the  oak  and  the 
granite  cliff,  because  they  represent  strength  and  loftiness;  be- 
cause they  are  unmoved  by  every  opposing  force.  They  resist  the 
storm  and  hurricane,  and  the  winter  blast  howls  past  them  harm- 
less in  its  fury,  while  weaker  objects  give  way  to  the  opposing 
powers.  I  well  remember  walking,  some  years  ago,  down  the 
streets  of  Ann  Arbor,  the  morning  after  a  terrible  storm  had  swept 
over  the  city,  unroofing  houses  and  uprooting  trees.  On  a  certain 
street  was  a  beautiful  row  of  stately  poplars;  one  of  them,  the 
tallest  and  most  beautiful,  was  lying  prostrate  upon  the  ground, 
while  the  others  stood  erect  and  calm  in  the  morning  sun.  The 
mighty  tree  lay  across  the  entire  street  and  lapped  over  the  oppo- 
site side  walk.  I  said  to  my  friend,  "Is  it  not  strange  that  the 
most  magnificent  of  the  entire  row  of  trees  should  fall  and  the 
rest  remain  unharmed?"  As  we  walked  around  the  broken  stump, 
however,  we  saw  the  cause  of  the  prostration.  Worms  had  eaten 
at  the  heart  of  that  tree  until  its  resisting  force  was  gone,  yet 
without,  it  was  green  and  healthy.  The  tree  was  an  emblem  of 
human  life.  In  this  busy  world  of  hustle  and  bustle,  hooded  and 
cloaked  humanity  pass  at  their  face  value;  but  once  let  a  contend- 
ing force  sweep  over  the  land— a  force  that  tests  the  moral  cour- 
age of  men — then  the  worm-eaten,  virtue-pretending  souls,  fall 
down  before  the  wondering  gaze  of  angels  and  of  men. 

Beaver,  Utah. 

[to  be  continued.] 


THE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  FARM  IN  NEW  ZEA- 
LAND. 


BY  ELDER  JOHN  W.  REEVE. 


On  April  1,  1908,  a  deal  was  perfected  whereby  the  Church 
of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints  came  into  possession  of  a  130- 
acre  tract  of  land  at  Korongata,  H.  B.,  New  Zealand.  This  land 
was  purchased  for  the  purpose  of  erecting  thereon  a  college  for 
Maori  boys.  It  is  the  intention  of  the  Church  authorities  to  give 
the  Maori  boy  a  practical  education  in  the  leading  topics  of  the  age, 
particularly  emphasizing  agriculture  and  its  branches. 

About  the  first  of  December  notices  were  sent  from  mission 


In  the  Harvest  Field. 


382 


IMPR  0  VEMENT  ERA . 


headquarters  to  several  elders  in  surrounding  districts,  to  report 
at  the  Church  farm,  ready  for  work. 

A  crop  of  grain  which  had  been  planted  by  way  of  experiment, 
on  the  recently  purchased  farm,  was  now  ready  to  be  harvested. 
The  crop  proved  to  more  than  come  up  to  the  expectations  of 
the  elders  in  charge,  and  was  commented  upon  by  a  great  many 
people  of  the  surrounding  country,  as  being  one  of  the  best  look- 
ing crops  ever  seen  in  the  district.  Some  were  very  much  sur- 
prised to  see  that  the  "Mormons"  knew  how  to  manage  a  farm. 

A  binder  was  obtained  from  one  of  the  Maori  Saints  and  the 
work  commenced .  After  five  days  of  hard  work  the  grain  was  cut 
and  shocked. 


We  again  called  upon  our  Saints  for  the  use  of  their  dump 
carts,  in  which  to  haul  our  grain  to  the  stacks.  Six  days  were 
spent  in  carrying  the  grain  from  the  field  in  these  old  time 
carts,  so  much  in  use  in  English  colonies. 

Allow  me  to  say  that  these  eleven  days  of  work  were  fre- 
quently interrupted  by  long  intermissions.  We  would  just  get 
things  working  nicely  when  a  rain  or  wind  storm  would  come  up 
and  we  would  have  to  discontinue  our  work  for  days  at  a  time. 


THE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  FARM  IN  NEW  ZEALAND.      383 


We  also  had  to  stop  for  two  days  on  account  of  a  death  in  the  near 
by  village.  Thus  you  see  our  work  dragged  along  for  a  period  of 
about  four  weeks. 

Although  working  under  these  difficulties,  we  now  have  the 
satisfaction  of  seeing  thirteen  majestic  stacks  of  grain  standing 
on  our  farm  ready  to  be  threshed. 


384  IMPROVEMENT  ERA 

The  harvesting  of  the  first  crop  on  this  farm  is  an  affair  that 
will  be  long  remembered  by  the  elders  who  had  the  privilege  of 
being  the  pioneers  of  the  Church  School  Farm  of  New  Zealand. 

The  following  persons,  President  R.  K.  Hardy,  Elders  A.  H. 
Davis,  0.  F.  Call,  E.  A.  Burt,  J.  J.  Godfrey,  W.  C.  Harper,  C.  L- 
Nelson,  A.  H.  Bowles,  0.  S.  Brown,  J.  W.  Reeve,  J.  H.  Jenkins, 
A.  E.  Anderson,  and  native  Elders  Rangi  Kawea,  Miki  Winieta, 
and  Ratima  Pakai,  were  the  ones  who  took  part  in  this  notable 
event. 

Korongata,  H.  B. ,  New  Zealand,  January  1G,  1909. 


AN   EMBLEM    FOR  THE  SEVENTIES. 

(For  the  Improvement  Era.) 


On  a  pinnacle  of  the  Temple,  with  a  trumpet  in  his  hand, 
Stands  Moroni  on  a  sphere,  like  a  sentinel  o'er  the  land. 
Every  people,  tongue  and  kindred  shall  hear  the  proclamation 
Of  the  gospel's  joyous  sound  sent  to  each  and  every  nation. 

Hear  all  ye  isles  and  continents,  wherever  there  are  found 
Remnants  of  the  covenant  people;  let  the  angel's  warning  sound 
Loud  and  long;  let  it  resound  throughout  each  land  and  clime, 
That  Israel  may  be  gathered  in  the  Lord's  appointed  time. 

Like  an  ensign  on  a  mountain,  like  a  standard  just  unfurled, 

Let  the  angel's  proclamation  be  heralded  to  the  world. 

By  the  elders,  send  the  message;  by  the  seventies,  preach  the  word, 

And  leave  them  then  without  excuse  when  the  warning  has  been  heard. 

Glad  tidings  of  great  joy  we  bring  to  each  true  and  honest  heart. 
Oh,  how  our  bosoms  swelled  with  love  when  first  we  heard,  in  part, 
And  how  our  faith  has  grown  since  then,  as  we  the  lesson  learn, 
Of  the  gospel's  restoration  and  its  power  for  fallen  men. 

And  how  the  work  is  growing — growing  larger  year  by  year, 
And  how  our  prophet  would  rejoice,  were  he  but  with  us  here; 
And  how  the  Lord  does  magnify  his  servants  in  his  cause, 
As  they  show  forth  humility,  keeping  all  his  holv  laws. 

Salt  Lake  Citv,  Utah.  David  L.  Murdock. 


WASHINGTON  IN  HUNGARY, 

BY  J.  HAMILTON  GARDNER. 


Who  would  think  that  the  erecting  in  Buda-Pesth  of  a  monu- 
ment to  the  memory  of  George  Washington  has  anything  to  do 
with  the  spread  of  "Mormonism"  in  Hungary?  At  first  thought 
the  connection  between  the  two  seems  very  slight,  but  closer  ex- 
amination reveals  an  actual  relationship,  and  at  the  same  time 
illustrates  a  beautiful  principle  of  the  gospel  as  believed  in  by  the 
Latter-day  Saints. 

The  Book  of  Mormon,  the  Doctrine  and  Covenants,  in  oft- 
repeated  statements,  teach  that  America  is  the  land  of  Zion.  It 
is  an  especially  blessed  land;  in  fact,  from  the  beginning  "it  be- 
came a  choice  land  above  all  other  lands,  a  chosen  land  of  the 
Lord."  Probably  the  greatest  blessing  that  has  been  bestowed 
upon  it  is  liberty.  The  Nephite  scriptures,  in  particular,  repeat- 
edly state  that  America  is  "a  land  of  liberty  unto  the  inhabitants," 
that  "there  shall  be  no  kings  upon  this  land,"  and  that  God  will 
protect  its  people  "from  all  other  nations  under  heaven."  To  insure 
this  liberty  the  Lord  through  inspired  men  gave  the  constitution  to 
the  American  colonists;  for  it  is  expressly  stated  by  him:  "And 
for  this  purpose  [that  of  liberty  to  all]  have  I  established  the  Con- 
stitution of  this  land,  by  the  hands  of  wise  men  whom  I  raised  up 
for  this  very  purpose."  No  other  land  can  boast  of  liberty  such 
as  it  possesses.  To  the  people  of  other  countries,  down- trodden  by 
injustice  and  tyranny,  it  has  shone  forth  as  a  beacon  light  of  free- 
dom, and  stood  a  haven  from  oppression.  That  they  have  found  it 
such  is  amply  proved  by  the  patriotism  and  love  shown  by  thou-  . 
sands^of  immigrants". for  their  adopted  country. 

The   freedom   enjoyed    in    America   has    not     been    with- 


386 


IMPROVEMENT  ERA. 


out  its  influence  upon  the  rest  of  the  world.  Liberty 
gained  in  one  land  kindles  a  desire  for  it  in  another.  Suc- 
cess in  the  struggle  for  free- 
dom among  one  people  al- 
ways incites  others  to  obtain 
the  same  rights.  Thus  the 
liberty  gained  in  America 
has  had  a  tremendous  influ- 
ence, both  directly  and  indi- 
rectly on  the  fight  for  human 
rights  in  other  countries.  The 
benefits  and  advantages  ob- 
tained by  American  inde- 
pendence have  incessantly 
spurred  other  patriots  on  to 
greater  endeavors,  and  have 
done  much  in  helping  them 
gain  even  the  amount  of 
liberty  which  at  present  ex- 
ists. Thus  it  can  be  seen 
how  at  least  part  of  the  law 
has  "gone  forth  out  of 
Zion,"   as   foretold    by   the 

Washington  Monument  in  Buda-Pesth.  prophets  Isaiah    and  Micah. 

The  gospel  of  human  liberty — surely  an  essential  part  of 
Christ's  teaching — has  been  spreading  among  the  nations 
long  before  the  gospel  in  its  fulness  was  restored. 

But  what  has  all  this  to  do  with  the  spread  of  "Mormonism?" 
Simply  this:  we  may  well  claim  that  since  the  beginning,  every 
reform  that  has  been  effected;  every  betterment  of  human  condi- 
tion brought  about;  any  advancement  made  in  any  line  whatever, 
whether  it  be  in  science,  art,  religion,  invention  or  human  liberty, 
has  brought  the  world  nearer  to  that  stage  where  it  could  accept 
the  fulness  of  the  gospel,  or  "Mormonism."  Thus  any  of  these 
movements  would  be  connected  with  and  included  in  this  restored 
gospel.  Therefore,  the  advocates  of  liberty  have  been  indirectly 
spreading  "Mormonism." 

And  now  the  connection  between  the  erection  of  a  monument 


WA  SHING  TON  IN  H  UNGAK  Y. 


387 


to  Washington  and  the  spread  of  this  work  in  Hungary  is 
made  plain.  Of  all  the  inspired  men  whom  God  raised  up  to 
gain  freedom  for  America,  Washington  was  undoubtedly  the 
greatest.  And  so  his  monument  stands  as  a  striking  emblem  of 
liberty,  and  where  liberty  spreads,  one  of  the  principles  of  the 
gospel  is  being  promulgated. 

This  monument  was  erected  by  the  Hungarians  of  America, 
in  1906.  It  stands  in  a  conspicuous  place  in  the  "Varos-Liget," 
Buda-Pesth's  City  Park.  Nothing  more  significant  and  suggestive 
of  freedom  could  have  been  built,  because  if  any  man's  name 
stands  for  liberty  it  is  that  of  Washington.  And  the  Amer- 
ican Hungarians  were  shrewd  enough  to  use  this  silent,  but 
nevertheless  effective, way  of  advocating  freedom  in  their  fatherland, 

Washington's  name  is 
also  used  in  another  way  in 
Hungary.  The  Magyars  speak 
of  their  most  highly  honored 
countryman  as  the  '  'Washing- 
ton of  Hungary."  This  is 
Louis  Kossuth,  the  principal 
instigator  of  the  revolution 
of  1848-9,  and  the  foremost 
champion  of  Hungarian  liber- 
ties. But  he  was  not  as  suc- 
cessful as  his  American 
predecessor,  although  he 
made  a  determined  and  val- 
iant fight;  the  Hungarian 
patriots  were  defeated  by  the 
Austrians,  and  Kossuth  was 
compelled  to  seek  safety  in 
exile.  In  1851-2  he  visited 
America,  and  as  he  had  pre- 
viously used  the  time  of  two 
years'  imprisonment  to  learn 


born 


Louis   Kossuth,    Hungarian   Patriot, 
1802,  died  1894. 

English,  he  was  able  to  address  the  people  in  their  own  language. 

His  speeches  were  forceful  and  eloquent,  and  met  with  much  sym- 

athy.  A  monument  has  since  been  erected  to  his  memory  in  Luna 


388  IMPROVEMENT.  ERA. 

Park,  Cleveland,  Ohio — also  by  the  Hungarians  of  America.  The 
Washington  monument  in  Buda-Pesth  shows,  to  some  extent,  at 
least,  the  gratitude  felt  by  the  American  Hungarians  toward  their 
adopted  countrymen  who  had  treated  their  beloved  Kossuth  so 
kindly.  And  so  the  "father  of  his  country,"  besides  valiantly  and 
successfully  fighting  for  liberty  in  America,  is  indirectly  aiding  the 
same  cause — and  therefore  "Mormonism" — in  Hungary.  Truly 
"God  moves  in  a  mysterious  way  his  wonders  to  perform." 
Buda-Pesth,  Hungary. 


THE      FLORIDA"-    REPUBLIC  '  COLLISION. 


The  White  Star  steamship  Republic,  well  known  to  many  Latter-day  Saints 
who  have  crossed  the  ocean  on  it,  on  its  way  from  New  York  to  the  Mediterranean, 
was  struck  in  a  fog  off  Nantucket  by  the  inward-bound  Italian  steamer  Florida, 
January  23,  and  sank  some  hours  latsr,  while  being  towed  back  to  New  York.  As 
soon  as  the  collision  occurred,  a  distress  call  was  sent  out  by  wireless  tele- 
graphy, and  several  steamships  a  hundred  miles  or  more  distant,  picked  up  the 
message  and  started  to  help  the  injured  ship.  The  four  hundred  and  sixty  pas- 
sengers on  the  Republic  and  the  crew  of  that  ship  were  taken  on  board  the 
Florida,  which  although  disabled  by  the  collision,  was  not  in  a  sinkiing  condition. 
Later  the  Baltic,  which  was  the  first  ship  responding  to  the  distress  signal  to 
reach  the  scene,  took  on  board  the  passengers  and  crews  of  both  the  injured  ships. 
Two  passengers  on  the  Republic  and  four  seamen  on  the  Florida  were  killed  in 
the  collision. 

It  is  believed  that  the  "wireless,"  "that  unique  marvel  of  an  age  amazingly 
new,"  is  robbing  the  sea  of  its  terrors.  Thirty-eight  hours  elapsed  between  the 
time  of  the  collision  and  the  sinking  of  the  Republic,  but  it  took  only  ten  minutes 
time  for  JackBinns,  the  hero  wireless  operator  of  the  Republic  to  send  out  "the 
ambulance  call  of  the  sea,"  which  brought  help  and  succor.  Since  the  collision 
the  Navy  Department  has  opened  bids  for  a  wireless  tower  in  Washington,  which 
will  be  able  to  communicate  with  ships  at  s«a  to  a  distance  of  three  thousand 
miles.  Jack  Binns  was  praised  in  Congress  for  his  heroism.  Representative 
Boutell  said  there  was  one  silent  actor  in  the  tragedy,  whose  name  should  be  im- 
mortalized, and  continued : 

I  refer  to  the  Marconi  operator  on  the  Republic,  who  had  the  cool  head  and 
steady  hand  to  send  forth  on  the  willing  wings  of  air  the  message  of  disaster  that 
saved  hundreds  of  lives,  and  the  message  of  deliverance  that  relieved  thousands 
of  anxious  hearts.  His  name  is  John  R.  Binns.  He  is  known  to  several  members  of 
this  House. 

"Jack"  Binns  has  given  to  the  world  a  splendid  illustration  of  the  heroism 
-hat  dwells  on  seas  in  many  who  are  doing  quiet,  unnoticed  work  in  life. 


EDITOR'S    TABLE. 


HOLY  GHOST,  HOLY  SPIRIT,  COMFORTER. 

A  large  number  of  questions  coming  from  many  sources  and 
pertaining  to  the  Holy  Ghost,  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  the  Spirit  of 
God,  have  recently  been  asked.  While  it  is  impracticable  to  reply, 
separately,  to  all,  it  is  hoped  that  in  this  writing  a  satisfactory 
answer  to  most  of  them  may  be  found. 

The  Holy  Ghost,  who  is  a  member  of  the  Trinity  in  the  God- 
head, has  not  a  body  of  flesh  and  bones,  like  the  Father  and  the 
Son,  but  is  a  personage  of  Spirit.     (Doc.  and  Cov.,  Sec.  130:  22.) 

The  Holy  Spirit,  or  Spirit  of  God,  both  of  which  terms  are  some- 
times used  interchangeably  with  the  Holy  Ghost,  is  the  influence 
of  Deity,  the  light  of  Christ,  or  of  Truth,  which  proceeds  forth 
from  the  presence  of  God  to  fill  the  immensity  of  space,  and  to 
quicken  the  understanding  of  men.  (Doc.  and  Cov.,  Sec.  88: 
6-13.) 

The  Comforter,  spoken  of  in  John  14:  16,  17,  is  not  the  Holy 
Gho3t,  and  has  no  reference  to  the  Holy  Ghost,  but  has  reference 
to  another  Comforter  which  is  the  Spirit  of  Truth,  which  dwells  in 
the  Son  of  God,  as  explained  in  the  17th  and  18th  verses,  in  which 
the  Lord  says,  "I  will  not  leave  you  comfortless;  I  will  come  unto 
you."  Therefore,  Jesus  himself,  and  the  Spirit  of  Truth  proceed- 
ing from  him  and  that  dwelleth  in  him,  which  is  imparted  to  the 
true  believer  by  the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  is  that  other  Com- 
forter which  Jesus  promised  in  this  scripture. 

If  a  man  is  baptized  and  ordained  to  the  holy  priesthood, 
and  is  called  upon  to  perform  duties  which  pertain  to  that  priest- 
hood, it  does  not  follow  that  he  must  always  have  the  Holy  Ghost 
present  with  him  when  he  performs  his  duty,  but  every  righteous 
act  which  he  may  perform  legally  will  be  in  force  and  effect,  and 
will  be  acknowledged  of  God,  whether  he  hath  much  or  little  of 


390  IMPROVEMENT  ERA. 

the  Holy  Ghost,  but  the  more  of  the  Spirit  of  God  he  possesses  in 
ministrations,  the  better  for  himself,  and  those  will  not  suffer  any 
loss  unto  whom  he  administers. 

Therefore,  the  presentation  or  "gift"  of  the  Holy  Ghost 
simply  confers  upon  a  man  the  right  to  receive  at  any  time,  when 
he  is  worthy  of  it  and  desires  it,  the  power  and  light  of  truth  of 
the  Holy  Ghost,  although  he  may  often  be  left  to  his  own  spirit 
and  judgment. 

The  Holy  Ghost  as  a  personage  of  Spirit  can  no  more  be  omni- 
present in  person  than  can  the  Father  or  the  Son,  but  by  his  in- 
telligence, his  knowledge,  his  power  and  influence,  over  and 
through  the  laws  of  nature,  he  is  and  can  be  omnipresent 
throughout  all  the  works  of  God.  It  is  not  the  Holy  Ghost 
who  in  person  lighteth  every  man  who  is  born  into  the  world,  but 
it  is  the  light  of  Christ,  the  Spirit  of  Truth,  which  proceeds  from 
the  source  of  intelligence,  which  permeates  all  nature,  which 
lighteth  every  man  and  fills  the  immensity  of  space.  You  may  call 
it  the  Spirit  of  God,  you  may  call  it  the  influence  of  God's  intel- 
ligence, you  may  call  it  the  substance  of  his  power,  no  matter  what 
it  is  called,  it  is  the  spirit  of  intelligence  that  permeates  the  uni- 
verse, and  gives  to  the  spirits  of  men  understanding  just  as  Job 
has  said.     (Job  32:  8;  Doc.  and  Cov.  Sec.  88;  3-13). 

Every  elder  of  the  Church  who  has  received  the  Holy  Ghost 
by  the  laying  on  of  hands,  by  one  having  authority,  has  power  to 
confer  that  gift  upon  another;  it  does  not  follow  that  a  man  who 
has  received  the  presentation  or  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost  shall  al- 
ways receive  the  recognition  and  witness  and  presence  of  the  Holy 
Ghost  himself,  or  he  may  receive  all  these,  and  yet  the  Holy  Ghost 
not  tarry  with  him,  but  visit  him  from  time  to  time  (Doc.  and  Cov. 
Sec.  130:23);  and  neither  does  it  follow  that  a  man  must  have  the 
Holy  Ghost  present  with  him  when  he  confers  the  Holy  Ghost  upon 
another,  but  he  possesses  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  it  will 
depend  upon  the  worthiness  of  him  unto  whom  the  gift  is  bestowed 
whether  he  receive  the  JT?ly  Ghost  or  not. 

Now  I  repeat — the  Holy  Ghost  is  a  personage  of  spirit,  he 
constitutes  the  third  person  in  the  Trinity,  the  Godhead.  The  gift 
or  presentation  of  the  Holy  Ghost  is  the  authoritative  act  of  con- 
ferring him  upon  nvan       The  Holy  Ghost  in  person  may  visit  men 


EDITOR'S  TABLE.  391 

and  will  visit  those  who  are  worthy  and  bear  witness  to  their  spirit 
of  God  and  Christ,  but  may  not  tarry  with  them.  The  Spirit  of  God 
which  emanates  from  Deity  may  be  likened  to  electricity,  or  the 
universal  ether,  as  explained  in  our  manual, which  fills  the  earth  and 
the  air,  and  is  everywhere  present.  It  is  the  power  of  God,  the  in- 
fluence that  he  exerts  throughout  all  his  works  by  which  he  can 
effect  his  purposes  and  execute  his  will,  in  consonance  with  the 
laws  of  free  agency  which  he  has  conferred  upon  man.  By  means 
of  this  Spirit  every  man  is  enlightened,  the  wicked  as  well  as  the 
good,  the  intelligent  and  the  ignorant,  the  high  and  the  low,  each 
in  accordance  with  his  capacity  to  receive  the  light;  and  this  Spirit 
or  influence  which  emanates  from  God  may  be  said  to  constitute 
man's  consciousness,  and  will  never  cease  to  strive  with  man,  until 
man  is  brought  to  the  possession  of  the  higher  intelligence  which 
can  only  come  through  faith,  repentance,  baptism  for  the  remis- 
sion of  sins,  and  the  gift  or  the  presentation  of  the  Holy  Ghost  by 
one  having  authority.     All  this  seems  very  plain  and  simple. 

The  Y.  M.  M.  I.  A.  Manual  statements  are  not  intended,  and 
certainly  should  not  be  interpreted,  to  mean  that  the  Spirit  of  God 
is  ether,  or  that  ether  is  the  Spirit  of  God.  It  is  true  that  the 
manual  likens  or  compares  the  infinity  of  the  Spirit  of  God  or  Holy 
Spirit,  which  permeates  all  His  works,  with  the  supposed  infinity 
of  the  universal  ether,  but  it  was  certainly  not  intended  to  convey 
the  thought  that  ether  is  the  Spirit  of  God;  and  much  less  that  the 
Holy  Ghost,  who  is  a  personage  of  Spirit,  is  ether.  By  request  Dr. 
John  A.Widtsoe  has  written  an  article  on  the  subject,  supplemental 
to  the  manual,  which  follows.  Joseph  F.  Smith. 


ETHER,  HOLY  SPIRIT,  AND  HOLY  GHOST. 
Ether. 

The  last  one  hundred  years  have  been  a  period  of  tremendous 
scientific  progress.  Every  department  of  human  thought  has  been 
touched  with  the  light  of  intelligence.  New  sciences  have  been 
founded  and  developed,  and  the  older  sciences  have  been  extended 
far  beyond  their  ancient  limits.  The  accumulation  of  facts  has 
been  so  great  as  to  stagger  the  human  mind.  Today,  this  work 
of  mastering  nature's  secrets  goes  on  with  undiminished  vigor. 


392  IMPROVEMENT  ERA. 

As  science  has  progressed  it  has  become  more  and  more  evi- 
dent that  at  least  a  large  class  of  the  phenomena  of  nature  can 
not  be  explained  in  ordinary  terms  of  material  things  as  we  know 
them.  It  has  been  borne  in  upon  the  human  mind  with  greater 
and  greater  insistency  that  in  order  to  explain  even  imperfectly 
the  nature  and  relation  of  the  great  forces  of  the  universe,  it  is 
necessary  to  assume  that  space  is  completely  filled  with  a  subtle 
substance  of  marvelous  and  controlling  properties.  Every  new  dis- 
covery makes  the  truth  of  the  existence  of  such  a  substance  more 
probable.  What  this  substance  is,  no  man  knows,  for  it  lies  be- 
yond the  reach  of  human  senses.  In  the  operations  of  nature  alone 
do  we  recognize  it.  It  makes  possible  heat  and  light  and  electric- 
ity and  magnetism;  by  its  aid  does  nature  speak  in  the  thunders 
and  the  lightnings,  and  by  its  relations  to  universal  things,  even 
the  human  mind  is  aided.  Nothing  in  the  world  of  things  and 
thoughts  is  unaffected  by  this  universal  substance.  This  substance 
(which  may  perhaps  be  a  means  through  which  the  Spirit  of  God  op- 
erates) is  the  ether  of  science.  The  name  stands  for  man's  concep- 
tion of  an  eternal  reality,  back  of  the  operations  of  nature,  which, 
though  in  itself  unknown  and  unknowable ,  may  be  dimly  understood 
through  its  eifects  upon  things  material. 

Holy  Spirit. 

When  Joseph  Smith  was  led  by  God  to  reestablish  the  Church 
of  Christ,  one  of  his  main  duties  was  to  restore  in  the  minds  and 
hearts  of  men  a  rational  conception  of  God,  the  Ruling  Force  of 
the  universe.  The  Prophet  made  it  a  cornerstone  of  his  teachings 
that  God  is  personal,  and  though  of  infinite  power,  might  and 
majesty,  occupies  only  a  limited  portion  of  space.  The  old  domi- 
nating idea  that  God  is  everywhere  personally  present  was  firmly 
declared  to  be  wrong.  Nevertheless,  the  Prophet  taught  that  God 
controls  every  part  of  the  universe,  and  that  within  his  immediate 
reach  and  power  are  every  man,  animal,  tree  and  stone.  The  very 
hairs  on  our  heads  are  counted  and  governed  Dy  him.  The  Prophet 
further  taught  that  a  personal  God  with  a  body  occupying  limited 
space  can  exercise  such  intimate  and  universal  power  by  the  use 
of  a  holy  substance  of  remarkable  properties,  the  Holy  Spirit,  dif- 
fused throughout  space,  and  filling  every  part  of  it.     By  this  holy 


EDITOR'S  TABLE.  393 

substance,  the  Light  of  Christ,  the  Spirit  of  Truth,  God  is  in  com- 
munication with  every  part  and  being  of  the  universe;  by  its  means 
He  can  transmit  His  will  and  power  to  the  uttermost  parts  of 
space,  and  touch  the  hearts  of  His  children  everywhere  As  taught 
by  Joseph  Smith  and  the  leaders  of  the  Church,  even  the  physical 
light  from  the  sun,  heat,  electricity,  thunder  and  lightning  are 
expressions  of  divine  will,  by  the  operations  of  this  holy,  universe- 
filling  substance.  (Doc.  and  Cov.  88:  3-13.)  This  conception  is 
one  that,  taken  in  connection  with  the  idea  of  a  personal  God, 
makes  the  "Mormon"  philosophy  of  God  and  his  attributes  lucidly 
clear  and  yet  convincingly  rational.  This  holy  substance,  servant 
of  God,  filling  all  space,  and  carrying  God's  will  and  word  to  the 
whole  universe,  is  variously  called  the  Holy  Spirit,  the  Spirit  of 
God,  the  Light  of  Christ,  the  Spirit  of  Truth. 

It  can  not  be  said  with  authority  that  the  ether  of  science 
and  the  Holy  Spirit  of  "Mormonism"  are  one  and  the«same.  How- 
ever, it  can  be  said  safely,  that  they  are  both  included  in  the  works 
of  God.  Both  the  ether  and  the  Holy  Spirit  are  poorly  known  to 
human  understanding;  that  both  are  mighty  servants  of  the  Master 
we  know.  The  marvel  to  us  is  that  Joseph,  the  boy  Prophet,  un- 
acquainted with  the  learning  of  men,  should  embody  in  the  theo- 
logical structure  which  he  gave  to  the  world,  a  fundamental  doc- 
trine, the  practical  counterpart  of  which  men  of  science  have  been 
compelled  by  their  discoveries  to  include  in  their  man-made  phil- 
osophy. It  is  more  a  marvel  that  Joseph  Smith  taught  his  doctrine 
of  the  Holy  Spirit  many  years  before  the  corresponding  doctrine  of 
the  ether  was  finally  accepted  by  the  world  of  science.  (For  further 
discussion  of  this  subject  see  the  Y.  M.  M.  I.  A.  Manual  for  this 
year.) 

Holy  Ghost. 

The  Holy  Ghost  is  the  third  member  of  the  Godhead,  and  is  a 
personage,  distinct  from  the  Holy  Spirit  or  Spirit  of  God.  Little 
has  been  revealed  as  yet  concerning  the  Holy  Ghost.  However, 
we  do  know  that  the  work  assigned  to  this  member  of  the  Godhead 
is  high  and  holy  and  necessary  for  man's  eternal  progress;  that  his 
presence  and  power  are  promised  to  those  who  have  faith  in  God, 
who  repent  of  their  sins,  who  are  baptized  for  the  remission  of 


394 


IMPROVEMENT  ERA. 


their  sins,  and  who  have  hands  laid  upon  them  by  constituted  au- 
thority, that  they  may  receive  his  presence,  light  and  intelligence. 

John  A.  Widtsoe. 


MESSAGES  FROM  THE  MISSIONS. 


Elder  Albert  B.  Poulger,  writing  from  Kimberley,  South  Africa,  December 
21,  says:  "We  are  just  making  preparations  for  a  conference  of  the  South 
African  mission,  to  be  held  at  Woodstock,  January  8  to  11.  As  this  is  the  first 
conference  ever  held  in  South  Africa,  much  interest  is  being  taken.  We  feel 
that  it  will  put  new  life  into  our  work,  and  that  we  shall  enjoy  a  spiritual  feast. 
Considerable  slander  and  misrepresentation  have  been  meted  out  to  us  through  the 
press,  but  usually  we  are  permitted  to  reply  and  make  clear  our  position;  so  that 
thus  far,  only  good  has  resulted.  It  has  caused  investigation,  and  many  are  re- 
ceiving the  light.  We  had  one  baptismal  service  this  month  and  are  arranging  for 
another  on  the  26th." 


Elder  K.    N. 


Winnie  who,  with  Elder  E.  G.  Cannon,  resides  in  Nome 
City,  Alaska,  writes  under  date 
of  November  23,  1908,  that  they 
are  holding  meetings  this  win- 
ter for  both  the  white  and  the  Es- 
kimo population,  and  have  some  in- 
vestigators. "We  believe  that  be- 
fore long  our  Eskimo  friend,  Happy 
Jack,  will  become  a  living  witness 
to  his  people,  and  lead  many  of  them 
into  the  kingdom  of  God.  We  will 
quite  likely  celebrate  the  4th  of 
February ,  1909,  in  memory  of  Brother 
E.  G.  Cannon's  85th  birthday.  We 
are  both  well  and  happy,  and  hope 
to  dd  some  good  here  this  winter." 
Elder  Winnie  has  sent  an  article 
on  "The  Eskimo,  his  Origin  and 
Destiny,"  with  a  number  of  por- 
traits of  these  people  and  the  coun- 
try about  Nome,  for  publication  in 
the  Era.  He  expresses  himself  as 
having  done  so  with  the  view  of  do- 
ing good  by  directing  the  minds  of 
the  Latter  day  Saints  throughout  the 
world  toward  the  Eskimo  of  the 
north  country. 


Elders  E.  G.  Cannon  and  K.  N.  Winnie 
preaching  the  gospel,  streets  of  Nome, 
Alaska. 


EDITOR'S  TABLE. 


395 


First  Eskimo  School  opened  in  Nome,  1903-4,  by  Elders  E.  G.  Cannon, "now 
85  years  old,  and  K.  N.  Winnie. 

The  annual  statistical  report  of  the  Scandinavian  mission  for  the  year  end- 
ing December  31,  sent  to  the  Millennial  Star  by  President  Soren  Rasmussen, 
shows  that  there  are  six  conferences  in  Norway  and  Denmark,  three  in  each 
country,  with  143  missionaries,  and  a  total  of  2,757  souls  belonging  to  the 
Church.  During  the  year  there  have  been  283  baptisms,  and  129  persons  over 
eight  years  old  have  emigrated.  The  labors  of  the  elders  show  that  there  have 
been  64,928  gospel  conversations;  while  747,320  tracts,  and  40,150  books  have 
been  distributed;  7,509  meetings  have  been  held;  and  the  elders  visited  528,796 
homes  of  strangers.  The  distribution  of  books  has  fallen  off,  owing  to  the  pres- 
ent laws  of  Norway  prohibiting  the  sale  of  books  by  missionaries. 

"Just  a  word  about  the  mission  work  in  far-off  Hungary.  There  are  now 
Ave  elders  in  this  land  laboring  to  spread  the  gospel  among  its  people. 
So  far  there  have  been  about  one  hundred  people  accept  the  truth,  of  whom  the 
greater  part  have  emigrated.  Elders  have  been  working  in  Hungary  most  of 
the  time  since  1901,  but  owing  to  restrictions  have  been  very  much  hindered  in 
their  efforts;  in  fact,  it  has  become  so  bad  at  times  that  they  were  compelled  to 
leave  entirely;  for  the  last  two  years,  however,  there  has  been  ample  freedom. 
We  began  with  two  elders,  in  1908,  and  now  have  five;  in  fact  we  could  use  twice 
that  many,  if  it  were  possible  to  get  them.  So  far  the  work  has  been  carried  on 
only  among  German  speaking  people,  but  we  now  have  an  elder  who  is  learning 
Hungarian;  and  in  a  short  time  the  work  will  be  started    among  those  people. 


396 


IMPROVEMENT  ERA. 


There  are  glorious  prospects  for  missionary  work  here.  It  is  now  in  its  begin- 
ning stages,  and  there  is  a  whole  nation  of  good,  honest  people  to  whom  we  can 
carry  the  glad  tidings.  But  here,  as  in  most  other  places,  'the  harvest  is  ripe, 
but  the  laborers  are  few.'  Success  to  the  Era.  It  is  always  an  inspiration  and 
help  to  us  in  our  work."— J.  Hamilton  Gardner,  Buda-Pesth,  Hungary,  January 
19,   1909. 

Writing  from  Middlesbrough,  England,  January  15,  Elder  W.  H.  Caldwell, 
president  of  the  Newcastle  conference,  says:  "In  this  conference  which  com- 
prises the  countries  of  Cumberland,  Northumberland,  Durham, and  a  small  portion 
of  Yorkshire,  we  have  ten  branches  of  the  Church  established,  with  eight  fully 
organized  Mutuals,  over  which  the  traveling  elders  preside,  except  here  at  head- 
quarters, where  we  have  a  good,  energetic  local  presidency-  Three  of  these 
associations  are  studying  The  Apostolic  Age.  The  balance  are  dealing  with 
Spiritual  Growth.  Our  Middlesbrough  organization  will  take  up  Science  and  the 
Gospel  in  the  near  future. 

We  have  succeeded  in  awakening  a  greater  interest  than  was  shown  one 
year  ago,  thus  manifesting  the  spirit  of  real  improvement.  We  fully  realize  the 
importance  of  Mutual  work,  and  the  part  it  is  performing  in  the  dissemination  of 
truth.  We  also  appreciate  very  much  the  outlines  that  have  been  prepared  in 
the  manuals,  as  we  do  the  Era,  which  comes  to  our  conference  regularly. 


NEWCASTLE  CONFERENCE 

Top  row:  H.  R.  Smoot,  J.  W.  Burt,  M.  P.  Strong,  W.  K.  Tarbett,  L.  S" 
Mecham,  J.  M.  Brady,  E.  A.  Walton,  S.  Richards,  L.  Peterson. 

Second  Row:  J.  Jones,  J.  J.  Gillett,  G-  L.  Wintle,  J.  W.  Bambrough,  J.  W. 
Kissell,  I.  A.  Packer,  F.  A-  Purrington,  J.  Blackburn, 

Third  row:  C.  H.  Brewerton,  W.  Bird,  W.  H.  Caldwell,  C.  W.  Penrose.  S. 
Johnson,  W.  Kirkup,  E.  H.  Cornwall. 


PRIESTHOOD  QUORUMS'  TABLE. 


The  new  Movement  Among  the  Priesthood  Quorums  of  the  Church  has 
been  desired  for  many  years.  It  appears  from  the  way  the  Presidents  of  Stakes  and 
Bishops  generally  are  receiving  and  adopting  the  instructions  and  the  Courses  of 
Study  that  the  important  and  long-needed  movement  will  be  a  success  from  the 
beginning. 

What  is  the  new  movement?  It  is  a  system  of  providing  the  High  Priests, 
Elders,  Priests,  Teachers  and  Deacons'  quorums  of  the  Church  with  a  uniform 
Course  of  Study.  It  contemplates  that  each  quorum  or  part  of  a  quorum  shall 
meet  in  each  ward  of  the  Church  on  every  Monday  evening  for  instruction  in  the 
formal  study  of  the  doctrines,  principles  and  history  of  the  gospel. 

The  Seventies  were  the  pioneers  in  the  matter,  beginning  their  uniform  week- 
ly study  in  the  fall  of  1907,  and  they  have  so  far  issued  two  year  books,  and  made 
splendid  progress  in  qualifying  themselves  for  the  work  of  the  ministry  abroad 
among  the  nations  of  the  earth,  which  is  their  legitimate  calling. 

At  the  April,  1908,  general  conference  of  the  Church,  President  Joseph  F. 
Smith  highly  commended  the  efforts  of  the  Seventies.  He  also  sounded  the  key 
note  for  similarly  organizing  all  the  other  Priesthood  quorums,  with  uniform 
courses  of  study,  for  the  purpose  of  formally  studying  the  doctrines  and  principles 
of  the  gospel,  and  for  qualifying  themselves  in  the  active  duties  and  labors  of 
their  several  callings.  Give  the  Lesser  Priesthood  something  to  do,  was  his  ad- 
monition to  the  bishops,  that  will  interest  them  in  the  work  of  the  Lord,  and 
direct  their  energies  in  such  a  way  that  they  will  be  helpful  to  the  needy,  the 
poor,  themselves  and  the  Church— in  the  line  of  discipline,  instruction,  and  prac- 
tical experience.  (See  Conference  Report,  April,  1908;  also  Improvement  Era, 
Vol.  XI,  pp.  547-50.) 

Soon  after  this  date,  a  special  committee  on  Course  of  Study  for  the  Priest- 
hood consisting  of  Elders  Rudger  Clawson,  and  David  0.  McKay,  both  of  the  quo- 
rum of  the  Twelve  Apostles;  with  Bishops  Charles  W.  Nibley,  Orrin  P.  Miller,  and 
David  A.  Smith,  the  Presiding  Bishopric  of  the  Church,  were  chosen  to  take  the 
initiative  in  carrying  out  the  instructions,  and  to  prepare  courses  of  study  for  all 
the  quorums,  except  the  Seventy  who  already  had  their  manual.  The  committee 
set  to  work  upon  the  subject  with  energy.  A  system  of  work  for  the  priesthood 
quorums  had  already  been  inaugurated  in  a  number  of  the  stakes,  notably  in  Weber 
and  Granite.    These  were  investigated  and  finally  a  three-year  course  was  decided 


398  IMPR  0  VEMENT  ERA . 

upon.  The  original  committee  then  selected  the  following  additional  names:  Ed- 
ward H.  Anderson,  Nephi  Anderson,  Stephen  L.  Richards,  Sylvester  D.  Bradford, 
John  M.  Mills,  Joseph  B.  Keeler,  David  0.  Willey,  Jr.,  Charles  C.  Richards, 
Henry  H.  Blood,  Joseph  J.  Cannon,  and  P.  Joseph  Jensen.  During  the  summer 
and  fall  of  1908,  the  committee  met  regularly  once  each  week,  organized  the 
membership  into  sub-committees,  decided  upon  a  three-years'  course  for  each 
quorum,  and  set  to  work  upon  the  five  manuals  for  the  first  year's  study.  As  the 
manuscript  was  prepared  it  was  submitted  to  an  editing  committee  with  Elder 
David  0-  McKay  chairman,  and  finally  printed  under  the  supervision  of  a  printing 
commitee  with  Bishop  David  A.  Smith,  chairman.  The  outlines  were  distributed 
from  the  office  of  the  Improvement  Era  to  all  the  wards  of  the  Church  in  early 
January. 

At  the  Priesthood  meeting,  at  the  general  conference  in  October,  the  com- 
mitee by  Chairman  Clawson  presented  the  whole  subject  to  the  assembled  Priest- 
hood, and  the  plan  outlined  was  considered  and  unanimously  adopted.  It  was  de- 
cided that  presidents  of  stakes  and  bishops  of  wards  should  get  every  worthy 
member  ordained  to  the  Priesthood  and  enrolled  in  the  quorum  where  he  could  do 
the  most  efficient  service  to  the  Church ;  that  in  every  ward  a  weekly  Priesthood 
meeting  be  held  on  Monday  night,  beginning  on  the  first  Monday  night  in  January, 
1909;  and  that  commencing  November  29,  and  continuing  to  December  27,  a 
special  stake  conference  of  the  Priesthood  be  held  in  every  stake  in  the  Church, 
at  which  representatives  of  the  General  Authorities  were  to  attend  to  present  and 
explain  the  movement.  (For  a  copy  of  this  report  see  Improvement  Era,  Vol.  XII, 
p.  78-9. ) 

This  arrangement  was  carried  out  universally,  as  nearly  as  circumstances 
would  permit,  and  by  the  middle  of  January,  the  movement  was  making  commend- 
able headway  in  nearly  all  the  wards  of  the  Church. 

The  bishopric,  ward  clerk,  and  quorum  officers,  and  all  the  Priesthood  of  the 
ward  compose  the  membership  of  these  quorum  meetings.  They  meet  together 
conjointly,  have  opening  exercises,  roll  call  of  officers,  a  singing  practice  of  fif- 
teen minutes,  give  general  instructions,  then  separate  into  quorums.  Here  in  the 
classes  there  is  a  roll  call  of  members,  minutes,  then  the  regular  lesson  as  out. 
lined  in  the  Course,  which  should  occupy  one  hour.  In  some  wards  the  quorums 
reasemble  for  adjournment,  in  others  not;  this  and  the  hour  of  meeting  is  left 
optional  with  the  authorities,  but  the  time  of  meeting  should  not  exceed  one  hour 
and  forty-five  minutes,  one  hour  of  which  should  be  devoted  to  quorum  work. 
Thirty-six  lessons  for  each  year  are  provided,  the  balance  of  the  time  is  to  b« 
filled  in  by  the  different  quorums  as  they  think  best,  under  direction  of  the  Presi- 
dency of  the  different  stakes. 

This  movement  to  give  the  Quorums  of  the  Priesthood  a  progressive  Course  of 
Study  is  meeting  everywhere  with  hearty  approval.  Its  ultimate  success  will,  of 
course,  depend  upon  the  selection  of  good  class  instructors,  the  energy  and  spirit 
of  the  authorities  and  officers,  attention  to  details,  regularity,  punctuality,  prepa- 
raMor  of  lessons,  and  the  selection  of  capable  and  energetic  men  to  supervise  the 
bors. 


PRIES1H00D  QUORUMS1  TABLE.  399 

It  only  remains  now  to  say  a  word  about  the  study  itself.  Each  lesson  is  in 
two  parts :  the  theoretical  and  the  practical.  The  first  is  for  information,  the 
second  for  application  in  the  students'  life.  In  other  words,  the  object  is  to  learn 
dnty;  to  act  in  performance  of  duty.  It  is  hoped  that  the  Deacon  will  learn  not 
only  the  theory  of  his  work,  but  how  to  apply  that  knowledge;  and  so  with  the 
Priest,  and  Teacher;  as  well  as  the  Elder  and  High  Priest.  Great  stress  is  laid 
upon  the  practical  calling  and  duties  of  the  members,  and  upon  the  need  there  is 
for  all  who  hold  the  Priesthood  to  magnify  and  honor  it.  To  this  end  division  two 
of  each  lesson  takes  up  practical  work,  assignment  of  duties  f  3r  the  week,  etc. 

Following  are  the  titles  of  each  Course  for  the  first  year:  High  Priests, 
"Church  Organization  and  History;"  Elders,  "Book  of  Mormon;  Divine  Authen- 
ticity;" Priests,  "Restoration  of  the  Gospel  and  Church  History;"  Teachers, 
"Old  Testament  and  Pearl  of  Great  Price;"  Deacons,  "  Old  Testament." 

Beginning  February  1st,  the  Seventies  met  with  the  other  quorums,  instead 
of  on  Sunday  mornings  as  heretofore. 

Delay  in  the  Course  of  Study — Unfortunately  the  Committee  were 
unable  to  judge  properly  of  the  number  of  manuals  needed  to  supply  the  priest- 
hood and  the  result  has  been  that  the  manuals  on  hand  were  exhausted  about  the 
1st  of  February.  The  committee  authorized  a  reprint  of  the  manuals  that  were 
sold  out,  and  the  orders  which  came  in  too  late  for  the  first  edition  will  be  filled 
by  the  second.  There  are  now  plenty  of  manuals  to  supply  the  wants  of  all. 
Orders  sent  to  Alpha  J.  Higgs,  Improvement  Era  office,  will  receive  prompt 
attention. 

Monday  Night  the  Time  of  Meeting. — One  of  the  stakes  of  Zion  has 
requested  that  the  deacons  of  that  stake  be  permitted  to  bold  their  priesthood 
class  meeting  on  Sunday  morning  as  a  part  of  the  Sabbath  School  instead  of 
attending  the  regular  priesthood  meeting  on  Monday  night.  The  Committee  on 
Course  of  Study,  to  whom  this  matter  was  referred,  have  unanimously  decided 
that  the  meeting  of  any  of  the  quorums  of  the  priesthood  at  any  other  time 
than  Monday  night,  the  time  now  fixed  for  all  the  quorums  to  meet,  be  discour- 
aged. If  one  quorum  is  permitted  to  meet  at  a  separate  time  from  that  appointed, 
it  would  give  license  for  other  quorums  to  do  the  same,  and  the  result  would  be 
a  lack  of  uniformity,  which  is  one  of  the  principle  advantages  in  the  present 
arrangement.  Having  one  evening  for  the  quorums  to  meet,  enables  everybody 
to  so  arrange  their  affairs  as  to  set  that  night  apart  for  that  purpose,  and  every 
person  holding  the  priesthood  should  make  it  a  point  to  be  present  on  every  Mon- 
day evening,   and  make  that  a  uniform  rule  throughout  the  Church . 

Selecting  Class  Leaders— It  is  understood  that  the  Elders  and  the  High 
Priests  shall  select  their  own  class  leaders  with  the  sanction  and  approval  of  the 
presidency  of  the  stake,  and  that  the  class  leaders  for  the  Lesser  Priesthood  shall 
be  chosen  by  the  bishops.  In  choosing  class  leaders  for  the  Lesser  Priesthood 
quorums,  it  is  wisdom  for  the  bishops  to  avoid  selecting  all  the  teachers  from  any 
one  quorum,  but  rather  select  them  from  alLthe  higher  quorums  to  avoid  the  dis- 
ruption of  any  one  quorum.      Wisdom  and  judgment  exercised  in  these  matters 


400  1MPR  0  VEMENT  ERA . 

will  prevent  ill  feeling  and  keep  each  quorum  in  working  order.  As  far  as  the 
Seventies  are  concerned,  it  is  understood  that  the  selection  of  their  class  leaders 
shall  be  left  with  the  presidents  of  the  quorums,  subject  to  the  approval  of  the 
First  Council  of  Seventy. 

On  Re-assembling  After  Adjournment  of  Classes. — The  question  has 
been  asked  as  to  whether  the  Seventies  should  return  and  reassemble  with  the 
other  quorums  after  their  exercises,  so  that  all  the  quorums  may  adjourn  together. 
Whether  the  quorums  or  parts  of  quorums  reassemble  before  the  adjournment 
of  the  meeting  is  to  be  left  to  the  discretion  of  the  presiding  authorities.  It 
would  be  well  for  the  officers  of  the  quorums  and  the  bishopric  to  meet  together 
and  have  an  understanding  in  regard  to  this  matter.  Where  quorums  desire  to 
continue  their  class  work  longer  than  the  time  stated  in  the  outlines,  and  they 
can  do  so  without  seriously  interfering  with  the  other  classes  or  quorums,  an 
arrangement  to  this  end  might  be  made.  It  is  not  well  to  be  too  strict  with  the 
higher  quorums  in  this  matter  of  re-assembling  for  dismissal,  as  they  naturally 
require  more  time  than  the  other  quorums  for  the  consideratiou  of  their  lessons. 

Priesthood  Quorums'  Organ. — Now  that  the  quorums  of  the  Priesthood 
are  engaged  in  the  formal  study  of  theology,  and  meet  weekly  with  this  commend- 
able object  in  view,  there  arises  a  need  for  a  means  of  communication  between 
the  general  officers  who  have  the  study  and  the  direction  of  the  quorums  in  hand, 
and  the  members  and  teachers  of  the  quorums.  This  need,  it  has  been  decided  by 
the  Presidency  of  the  Church,  the  Committee  on  Course  of  Study,  and  the  General 
Board  Y.  M.  M.  I.  A.,  will  be  supplied  by  the  Improvement  Era  which  becomes 
the  organ  of  the  Priesthood  Quorums  and  the  Y.  M.  M.  I.  A.  A  department  in 
the  magazine  will  be  devoted  to  the  interests  of  the  quorums,  in  which  methods  of 
teaching,  answers  to  questions,  and  other  instructions  and  information  will  be 
given.  Presidents  of  stakes,  bishops,  and  quorum  officers  and  members  are  in- 
vited to  take  notice  of  this  arrangement.  All  correspondence  for  this  department 
should  be  sent  to  the  editor  of  the  Era,  Salt  Lake  City,  Utah. 

All  subscriptions  to  the  Era,  and  all  orders  for  Priesthood  Courses  of  Study 
and  M.  I.  A.  Manuals  should  be  sent  to  Alpha  J.  Higgs,  214  Templeton  Building, 
Salt  Lake  City. 

Presidents  of  Stakes,  Bishops  and  Officers  of  Quorums,  will  please  take 
notice  that  the  Y.  M.  M.  I.  A.  Board  has  Priesthood  Quorum  Courses  of  Study, 
which  are  now  ready  for  distribution.  All  orders  for  these  should  be  sent  to  Alpha 
J.  Higgs  at  the  Improvement  Era  office,  No.  214  Templeton  Building,  Salt  Lake 
City.    All  subscriptions  for  the  Era  should  be  forwarded  to  the  same  address. 

(Signed)  Joseph  F.  Smith, 

John  R.  Winder, 
Anthon  H.  Lund. 


MUTUAL  WORK. 


LIBRARY  AND   READING   ROOM. 

The  Young  Men's  Mutual  Improvement  Associations  of  Box  Elder  Stake  are 
the  pioneers  in  the  establishment  of  libraries.  They  have  a  successful  library  in 
Brigham  City  which  has  now  about  2,000  volumes;  there  are  besides  twelve  or  fif- 
teen of  the  best  magazines,  a  number  of  the  leading  weekly  and  daily  newspapers 
of  the  state,  and  many  other  periodicals  of  interest  published  in  the  country,  to 
be  found  on  their  reading  tables.  The  library  of  which  a  cut  is  here  given,  was 
built  in  1898,  under  the  direction  of  their  Superintendent  Oleen  N.  Stohl,  Presi- 
dent Minnie  L.  Snow,  and  the  presidents  of  the  four  wards  of  the  city  and  their 
associates.  A  great  part  of  the  cost  was  met  by  donation,  the  total  of  which  was 
about  $1,000.  When  the  library  was  first  opened,  it  contained  about  300  volumes 
of  books  principally  gathered  from  the  Mutual  Improvement  Associations  of  the 
four  wards. 


jfe.  ■  „  .^. 


FREE  LIBRARY.  AND  READING  ROOM 

Erected  and  Maintained  by  the  Mutual  Improvement  Associations  of 
Brigham  City. 


402  IMPROVEMENT  ERA. 

The  present  executive  committee  consists  of  the  Superintendent  of  the  Y.  M. 
M.  I.  A.  of  the  stake,  president  of  the  Young  Ladies'  Association,  with  Oluf 
Peterson  and  Minnie  H.  Jensen;  Secretary,  May  M.  Horsley,  and  Treasurer  Oluf 
Peterson.  The  presidents  of  the  Mutuals  of  the  four  wards  form  the  directory. 
The  library  is  open  from  two  to  nine  p.  m.  every  day  of  the  week  except  Sunday 
and  Tuesday.  The  hours  on  Sunday  are  from  four  to  six  p.  m.,  and  on  Tuesday 
the  library  closes  at  six  p.  m,  in  order  to  allow  the  M.  I.  A.  members  to  attend 
their  meetings.  The  expenses  for  librarian,  fuel,  and  sundries  amount  in  the  year 
to  about  $200,  which  amount  is  raised  by  concerts,  theatrical  entertainments  and 
donations  from  the  Mutuals.  It  is  the  testimony  of  all  who  understand  the  situ- 
ation that  the  library  and  reading  room  of  the  Mutual  Improvement  Associations 
of  Brigham  City  have  been  wonderful  means  towards  the  improvement  of  the 
young  people  of  that  city.  Would  such  a  place  in  your  town  be  of  value?  Could 
it  be  established  and  supported? 

HOW  TO   INTEREST  MEMBERS., 

Speaking  on  M.  I.  A.  work  Elder  H.  E.  Iverson,  of  Bear  River  City,  stated 
at  the  Box  Elder  Stake  Convention  that  enthusiasm  in  the  leader  is  the  first  re- 
quisite. The  best  class  leaders  should  be  chosen,  men  thoroughly  informed  along 
the  line  of  our  winter's  work.  Then  suitable  persons  should  be  put  in  charge  of 
the  amusements,  who  will  look  more  to  the  social  welfare  of  the  boys  than  to  the 
financial  emoluments  resulting  from  the  gathering.  Seek  first  the  welfare  and  love 
of  the  members  and  the  necessary  expense  will  be  met.  Insist  on  order,  persevere 
in  the  right.  Amusements  should  be  of  a  high  order  and  employ  the  greatest 
number;  not  so  much  always  the  best  talent  should  be  displayed.  Each  individual 
has  an  aptitude,  has  capacity  along  some  line;  find  it  and  aid  in  its  development. 
Educating  the  units  comprising  society  will  bring  the  millennium  sooner  than  highly 
educating  the  few. 

The  Savior  taught  the  poor,  the  meek,  the  lowly,  in  fact,  all  who  were  teach- 
able. 

Interest  our  boys,  not  by  telling  them  to  be  good,  but  make  the  good  attrac- 
tive, and  the  evil  abhorrent.     Good  will  find  a  response  in  all  hearts. 

In  preliminary  programs,  good  music,  vocal  or  instrumental,  attracts  strongly. 
Glee  clubs,  both  in  junior  and  senior  classes,  are  a  possibility.  Put  good  singers 
upon  the  street  corners  of  any  large  city  and  see  how  quickly  people  will  gather. 
Remember  David,  the  harpist  of  old,  his  is  a  story  with  a  melody,  and  always 
simply  told. 

In  working  with  young  men,  mingling  with  them  in  their  amusements,  and 
experiencing  their  joys  and  sorrows,  arouses  sympathetic  feelings.  Reasons  for 
certain  of  their  actions  are  seen  and  appreciated.  We  can  know  people  as  we  ex- 
experience  similar  conditions  to  theirs.  To  become  God- like,  we  must  meet  and 
overcome  as  God  has.  Who  knows  better  than  the  man  who  has  smoked,  how  hard 
it  is  to  resist  a  cigarette?  Who  can  better  advise  than  he  who  knows  the  hearts 
of  his  seekers;  and  how  can  you  know,  without  meeting  upon  a  basis  of  equality? 
If  our  young  men  feel  us  above  them,  they  cannot  give  us  their  confidence. 


EVENTS  AND  COMMENTS. 


BY  EDWARD  H.  ANDERSON. 


Caleb  W.  West.— The  last  territo- 
rial governor  of  Utah,  Hon.  Caleb  W. 
West,  died  on  Sunday  evening,  January  24, 
at  Providence  hospital, Oakland,  California. 
He  was  the  son  of  Andrew  Jackson  and 
Katherine  Murphy  West,  and  was  born  in 
Kentucky,  May  25,  1844.  He  was  gov- 
ernor of  Utah  twice,  from  1886  to  1889 , 
and  from  1893  to  statehood.  At  the  begin- 
ning of  his  first  administration,  when  he 
succeeded  Governor  Eli  H.  Murray,  there 
were  stirring  times  in  the  territory,  and  his 
coming  heralded  conciliation  after  the  tur- 
bulent administration  of  Governor  Murray. 
He  signed  the  first  bonds  of  the  territory, 
and  the  acts  of  the  legislature  establishing 
the  Agricultural  College  and  the  Reform 
School.  A  portrait  and  sketch  of  Gov- 
ernor West  was  published  in  May,  1901» 
in  the  Improvement  Era. 


Gov.  Caleb  W.  West. 


Uncompromising  Hostility  to  the  Saloon.  — During  the  whole  of  Janu- 
ary and  February,  the  agitation  for  statewide  prohibition  continued  with  unabated 
interest.  Over  seventy-five  thousand  names  have  been  sent  to  the  legislators, 
almost  every  settlement  in  Utah  contributing  its  practically  unanimous  quota 
asking  for  a  law  prohibiting  the  sale  of  liquors.  Many  private  communications 
have  been  written  to  the  legislators  urging  the  measure.  Mass  meetings  have 
been  held;  resolutions  passed,  and  delegations  appointed  to  visit  the  representa- 
tives and  senators.  Perhaps  the  largest  gathering  was  the  great  mass  meeting 
held  in  the  Salt  Lake  Theatre  on  Tuesday  afternoon,  February  2,  under  the  aus- 
pices of  the  women's  clubs,  Mrs.  C.  H.  McMahon  presiding.  The  building  was 
packed,  there  being  standing  room  only.  Addresses  were  made  by  Hon.  Nephi  L. 
Morris,  Mrs.  Ruth  May  Fox,  Mrs.  P.  A.  Simpkin,  Mrs.  E,  E.  Shepherd,  and  Rev. 
Francis  B.  Short.  A  resolution  against  the  saloon  and  liquor  traffic,  expressing 
the  sentiment  of  the  people  gathered,  was  read  by  request  by  Hon.  Heber  J. 
Grant,  and  passed  with  a  vim. 

As  the  campaign  proceeded  it  became  clearly  apparent  that  the  leading  poli- 


404 


IMPROVEMENT  ERA. 


ticians  in  power  are  opposed  to  prohibition.  Heavy  pressure  was  brought  to  bear 
upon  the  legislature,  particularly  the  senators,  against  the  proposed  law,  intro- 
duced in  the  House  by  Hon.  Jos.  J.  Cannon  and  supported  by  the  Anti-saloon 
League,  on  the  ground  that  it  was  a  Democratic  measure,  supported  mainly  by 
members  of  that  party.  This  resulted  in  a  number  of  leading  Republicans  call- 
ing a  state  mass  meeting  to  be  held  at  the  Salt  Lake  Theatre,  Wednesday,  February 
24,  to  protest  against  the  assertion  that  it  is  Democrats  alone,  and  not  Republi- 
cans who  want  prohibition.  In  the  meantime,  the  House  passed  the  Cannon  bill  by 
an  overwhelming  vote  of  thirty-nine  against  four.  The  names  of  the  four  are: 
T.  L.  Holman,  Hugh  A.  McMillen,  Daniel  McRae,  and  Claude  Y.  Russell.  On 
Monday,  15th,  the  bill  came  up  for  reconsideration,  and  again  passed  the  House. 
On  the  20th,  the  bill  was  considered  in  the  Senate  and  defeated  by  a  vote  of 
12  to  6,  as  follows:  Against,  Carl  A.  Badger,  Herschel  Bullen,  Jr.,  E.  T.  Hula- 
niski,  J.  A.  Hyde,  Rudolf  Kuchler,  Charles  E.  Marks,  John  H.  Seeley,R.W.  Sevy, 
Benner  X.  Smith,  John  Y.  Smith,  S.  J.  Stookey,  President  Henry  Gardner— 12; 
For,  Alonzo  Brinkerhoff,  Christopher  Burton,  Jr.,  W.  C.  Horsley,  Albert  E.  Miller, 
W.  N.  Williams  and  James  B.  Wilson — 6. 

Lor:n  Farr. — A  Utah  pioneer,  Hon.  Lorin  Farr.born  July  27,  1820,  in  Water- 
ford,  Caledonia  County,  Vermont, passed  to  his  restinOgden,  on  January,  12,1909. 

He  was  sent  to  Ogden  in  1850,  by 
President  Brigham  Young,  "to  lo- 
cate and  take  charge  of  the  Northern 
Colonies;"  was  the  first  Mayor  of 
Ogden  City,  acting  for  twenty-two 
years ;  presided  for  more  than  twenty 
years  over  the  Weber  Stake  of  Zion, 
and  for  twenty-eight  years  repre- 
sented Weber,  Box  Elder,  and  Cache 
counties  in  the  Territorial  Legisla- 
ture; and  was  a  member  of  the  Con- 
stitutional Convention,  which,  in 
1895,  framed  the  state  constitution 
upon  which  Utah  was  admitted  to 
the  Union.  As  a  colonizer,  a  law- 
maker, and  an  executive,  he  ex- 
hibited wisdom,  honesty  and  integ- 
rity, and  was  among  the  fortmost 
of  the  hardy  pioneers  in  enterprise 
and  action. 

In  religious  affairs  he  was  true 

and  faithful  in  every  calling,  helpful 

to  all,  and  a  Latter-day  Saint  in  every 

Lorin  Farr.  fibre.  He  was  a  witness  to  the  whole 

wondrous  history  of  the  Latter-day  Saints,  from  the  time  when,  an  eleven-year  old  lad 

in  1832,  he  was  baptized,  until  the   day  of  his  death,  in  his  89th  year.  He  lived 


EVENTS  AND  COMMENTS. 


405 


with  the  family  of  the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith  during  the  winter  of  the  exodus  from 
Missouri  to  Illinois.  Railroads,  canyon  roads,  saw  and  flouring  mills,  fac- 
tories, farms  and  other  enterprises  in  Weber  county,  are  witnesses  to  his  activity 
and  zeal.  For  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century  while  in  the  hey-day  of  his  man- 
hood's strength,  he  impressed  his  character, energy  and  thrift  upon  the  citizens  of 
his  day  and  time,  and  made  all  who  came  under  his  influence  better  and  happier 
for  the  contact. 

Since  1895.  he  has  lived  quietly  at  his  home,  much  of  his  time,  however, 
having  been  spent  in  travel  among  the  Saints;  and  latterly  in  peaceful  work  in 
the  temples.  The  funeral  took  place  from  the  Ogden  Tabernacle,  Sunday,  Janu- 
ary 17.  Among  the  speakers  were  President  Joseph  F.  Smith,  Elders  George 
Albert   Smith,   Joseph  Parry,  President  L.  W.  Shurtliff  and  Hon.  Fred  J.  Kiesel. 

John  Nicholson. — In  the  death  of  Elder  John  Nicholson,  which  occurred  on 
the  25th  of  January  a  prominent  and  much  beloved  resident  of  Utah  passed  to  his 
reward.  His  was  a  bright  intellect  and  his  attainments  place  him  in  the  fore" 
front  of  the  energetic  workers  of  the 
Church.  As  a  speaker  and  writer,  he  was 
well  known  among  the  people,  and  his  clear, 
logical  and  concise  method  of  expressing 
himself  found  great  favor  with  both  hearers 
and  readers.  He  was  the  associate  editor 
of  the  Deseret  News  for  a  number  of  years 
in  the  80's,  and  was  the  first  editor  of  the 
Ogden  Herald,  established  in  1881,  and 
later  changed  to  the  Standard.  His  writ- 
ings for  the  Improvement  Era,  Juvenile 
Instructor  and  other  Church  publications 
are  well  known.  He  wrote  several  poems, 
and  three  of  his  hymns  are  found  in  the  L. 
D.  S,  hymn  book.  He  was  the  author  of 
the  Preceptor,  the  first  systematic  study 
adopted  by  the  Improvement  Associations 
of  the  Church.  He  possessed  a  high  sense 
of  honor,  justice  and  right,  and  was  a 
thorough  Latter-day  Saint,  devoting  most 
of  his  life  to  the  building  up  of  the  Church. 
He  was  a  native  of  St.  Bos  well,  Roxburgh, 
Scotland,  where  he  was  born  July  13, 
1839.  He  joined  the  Church  on  the  8th  of  April,  1861,  laboring  thereafter  as  a 
missionary  for  three  years,  from  1863  to  '66,  part  of  which  time  he  presided  over 
the  Birmingham  Conferense.  He  filled  another  mission  to  England  during  1878 
to  1880,  being  associate  editor  at  that  time  of  the  Millennial  Star,  and  again 
visited  Great  Britain  in  1891.  He  numbered  friends  among  all  creeds  and  classes 
of  people  and  everybody  who  became  acquainted  with  him  respected  him  for  his 
firm  attitude  towards  the  right  and  his  hatred  of  wrong  and  error.    He  was  a  man 


John   Nicholson. 


406 


IMPROVEMENT  ERA. 


never  afraid  to  express  his  honest  convictions.  An  extended  biography  of  him 
written  by  Elder  Orson  F.  Whitney  appears  in  the  March  and  April  numbers  of  the 
Era,  volume  six,   1903. 

The  funeral  was  held  in  the  18th  ward  chapel  on  Thursday,  January  28,  and 
was  largely  attended.  Among  the  speakers  were  Presidents  Joseph  P.  Smith  and 
John  R.  Winder,  and  Apostle  0.  F.  Whitney  who  paid  glowing  tributes  to  his 
character  and  labors. 

Charles  R.  Savage. — On  the  night  of  February  3,  Charles  R  Savage,  one 
of  the  old  residents  and  best  known  business  men  of  Salt  Lake  City,  died  unex- 
pectedly at  his  home.  Elder  Savage  was  one  of  the  big-hearted  men  of  Utah, 
whose  influence  and  personality  were 
felt  for  good  in  the  whole  commu- 
nity, and  it  is  not  too  much  to  say 
that  owing  to  his  kind  personality 
and  his  labors  with  the  old  folks,  he 
was  one  of  the  most  beloved  men  in 
the  state.  He  was  the  originator  of 
the  Old  Folks'  Organization  which 
has  brought  sunshine  and  joy  to  the 
hearts  of  thousands  of  men  and 
women  who  have  reached  and  passed 
the  summit  of  life,  and  he  continued 
to  be  the  leading  spirit  in  these 
entertainments  for  the  aged  from 
the  day  it  was  first  established,  in 
1875,  until  the  day  of  his  death. 
His  labors  in  this  direction  alone  have 
been  enough  to  engrave  his  name  in 
the  memory  and  hearts  of  the  people 
for  many  years  to  come.  He  was  a 
native  of  England,  having  been  born 
in  Southampton,  August  16,  1832. 
He  had  been  a  resident  of  Salt  Lake 
City  since  1856,  and  he  came  to 
America  several  years  prior  to  that 

date.  He  opened  the  second  photograph  gallery  in  Salt  Lake  City,  and  for  many 
years  was  practically  the  only  person  engaged  in  that  line  of  work.  He  retired 
from  the  management  of  the  book  and  studio  business  about  three  years  ago,  but 
was  still  the  head  of  the  firm  of  C.  R.  Savage  &  Co  ,  up  to  the  time  of  his  death. 
In  point  of  service  and  of  years,  he  was  the  oldest  member  of  the  Tabernacle 
Choir,  which  he  joined  in  1860,  and  regularly  attended  up  to  the  time  of  his 
death.  Politically,  and  educationally  he  wielded  great  influence  among  the  people, 
and  he  was  beloved  by  all  who  knew  him,  for  his  kindness,  sympathy,  good  cheer, 
and  wise  counsel.  He  contributed  several  interesting  writings  that  have  appeared 
n  the  Era,  and  was  a  frequent  contributor  to  other  Church  publications. 


Charles  R.  Savage, 
Founder  of  the  Old  Folks'  Outings. 


EVENTS  AND  COMMENTS. 


407 


New  Mission  President. — President  Rufus  K.  Hardy  of  the  New  Zealand 
mission  has  been  released,  and  Elder  George  Bowles  of  the  bishopric  of  the  Second 

Ward,  Salt  Lake  City,  appointed  to  suc- 
ceed him.  Elder  Bowles,  born  in  Red- 
hill,  Surrey,  England,  December  28, 
1866,  came  to  Salt  Lake  City  in  May, 
1888,  where  ho  was  converted  to  the 
gospel  and  joined  the  Church  in  Decem- 
ber following.  He  was  mill  foreman  for 
the  Taylor- Armstrong  Lumber  Company 
for  several  years.  In  1893,  he  filled  a 
mission  to  New  Zealand  where  he  acted 
as  president  in  two  different  conferences, 
laboring  principally  among  the  Maoris. 
Returning  in  1897,  he  actively  engaged 
in  Church  work  at  home,  being  president 
of  the  Second  Ward  Y.  M.  M.  I.  A.,  sec- 
ond and  first  assistant  and  finally  super- 
intendent of  the  Sunday  School ;  and  in 
May,  1906,  was  chosen  first  counselor  to 
Bishop  Heber  C.  Iverson  in  the  bishopric 
of  the  ward.  He  was  also  president  of 
the  tenth  quorum  of  Seventy  for  about 
five  years.  His  knowledge  of  building 
will  especially  fit  him  to  supervise  the  construction  of  the  new  agricultural  school 
to  be  erected  in  the  mission,  and  his  experience  in  Church  work  makes  him  a  strong 
man  for  the  responsible  work  of  his  new  calling  as  president  of  the  mission.  The 
mission  has  a  fine  chapel  and  headquarters  already  completed  and  a  productive  farm 
of  130  acres  of  first  class  land. 

The  Netherlands-Belgium  Mission. — From  the  report  of  Prest.  Sylvester 
Q.Cannon  of  the  Netherlands-Belgium  mission,  for  the  year  ending  December  31, 
1908,  appearing  in  the  Millennial  Star,  it  is  learned  that  they  have  opened  11  new 
fields  in  that  mission,  and  that  the  Relief  Societies  and  Sunday  Schools  have  increased 
in  number  and  enrollment.  There  are  six  more  Sunday  Schools  than  at  the  beginning 
of  1908.  Tithing  has  increaed  five  per  cent  over  last  year,  and  fast  offer- 
ings 26  per  cent.  Many  young  missionaries  have  been  received  in  the  mission 
during  the  past  eighteen  months,  but  the  president  expresses  a  wish  that  they 
might  get  a  few  experienced  men.  In  the  five  conference  there  are  80  missionaries 
laboring  with  a  total  of  2,543  souls  belonging  to  the  Church.  During  the  year 
240  baptisms  were  performed,  and  89  souls  emigrated.  The  elders  held  55,797 
gospel  conversations,  distributed  472,153  tracts  and  32,532  books,  held  3,652 
meetings,  and  visited  128,590  strangers'  homes. 


George  Bowles. 


408  1MPRO  VEMENT  ERA . 

Missionary  Work  in  Great  Britain. — From  a  very  interesting  re- 
view of  the  year  1908,  of  the  European  mission,  which  appeared  recently  in 
the  Millennial  Star,  it  appears  that  over  five  and  one  half  million  tracts 
were  distributed  in  the  thirteen  conferences  of  the  British  mission,  and 
168,702  books;  13,880  meetings  were  held,  and  396,349  gospel  conversa- 
tions; 1,308,271  strangers'  houses  were  visited  in  tracting,  and  43,507  by  in- 
vitation. There  were  1,234  baptisms  during  the  year,  292  persons  emigrated  from 
the  British  mission,  and  altogether  1,297  persons  were  shipped  through  the  Liver- 
pool office,  including  elders  returning,  and  infants.  There  are  6,220  officers  and 
members  and  1,003  children  under  eight  years  of  age,  making  a  total  of  7,223  in 
the  British  mission.  As  an  illustration  of  the  activity  of  the  publishing  depart- 
ment, it  is  stated  that  no  less  than  6,123,000  tracts,  140,000  bound  pamphlets, 
and  153,000  conference  circulars  were  printed  during  the  year  1908,  in  the  Liver- 
pool office;  1,225,000  Rays  of  Living  Light  were  printed,  and  the  Millennial 
Star  maintained  its  circulation  with  gratifying  increase.  On  the  whole  the  British 
mission  is  prospering  in  every  department,  and  has  made  a  splendid  record  in 
the  effort  to  enlighten  the  world  concerning  the  gospel.  President  Charles  W. 
Penrose  has  been  very  active  in  visiting  conferences  and  missions  and  writing  in 
defense  of  the  Church.  Engaged  with  him  in  the  noble  work  are  28  high  priests, 
97  seventies,  and  211  elders,  making  a  total  of  336  missionaries,  all  of  whom  are 
alive  and  active  in  the  work  of  the  Lord. 

Roosevelt  off  for  Africa. — President  Roosevelt  will  head  an  expedition  to 
Africa  immediately  after  his  retirement  from  the  presidency,  and  the  inaugura- 
tion of  President-elect  William  A .  Taf t,  March  4.  Three  representatives  of  the 
Smithsonian  Institution  and  his  son  Kermit  will  accompany  him  on  the  trip.  The 
president  will  kill  big  game,  but  the  general  purpose  of  the  expedition  is  to 
gather  general  collections  in  zoology  and  botany.  Kermit  will  be  the  official 
photographer.  Only  those  who  know  the  president's  forehandedness  and  zeal 
for  work  are  aware  how  complete  his  plans  for  the  out  already  are.  He  will  sail 
from  New  York,  it  is  announced,  March  13.  The  year  will  be  spent  in  British 
East  Africa,  about  Victoria  Nyanza,  and  it  is  expected  he  will  come  out  of  the 
Dark  continent  in  1910  at  Kartoum. 

Progress  of  Woman's  Suffrage.— In  the  British  Colonies  of  Australia  and 
New  Zealand,  and  in  the  American  states  of  Colorado,  Idaho,  Utah  and  Wyoming, 
women  have  now  the  complete  suffrage.  Norway  and  Finland  have  also  granted 
this  privilege  to  women.  Tc  this  list  of  states  and  countries  Sweden  must  now  be 
added.  On  Feb.  13  a  bill  passed  the  Swedish  Diet  by  a  vote  of  134  to  94  and  120 
to  98  in  the  two  chambers  amending  the  electoral  law  and  providing  for  propor- 
tional representation  in  Parliament,  and  granting  all  persons  over  24  years  of  age 
the  right  to  vote  without  discrimination  on  account  of  sex. 


The  Remington  Auto-Loading  Shotgun 


"BROWNING'S 
PATENT" 


It  was  the  Remington  Autoloading  Shotgun,  \n  the  hands  of  an  amateur, 
that  won  the  recent  Grand  American  Handicap  against  495  contestants  It  is 
the  PERFECT  gun  for  trap  and  field. 

Send  for  our  150  page  catalog;  it  if  free.  Wc  hare  "Everything  for 
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BROWNING  BROS.  CO.,  •  Ogden,  Utah. 


1908-1909 


MIA  ReadingCourse 
BOOKS' 


FOR  JUNIORS 

"The  Last  of  the  Mohicans"  Cooper     .     40c 
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FOR  SENIORS 

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WHAT  IS  SAID  OF  A  POLELESS  PLOW 


I  CAN  WORK  CLOSER  to  a  fence 
or  other  obstruction"  says  a  prom- 
inent farmer,  "and  my  horses  have 
more  freedom." 

'The  plow  does  not  respond  to 
the  'weaving-'  of  the  horses  like  it 
does  when  a  pole  is  used,  in  fact  the 
horses  can  sway  hack  and  forth  to 
the  limit  of  of  the  tugs  withouteven 
effecting  the  nice  working  of  the 
plow  at  all. 

Many  other  advantages  are  urged  by  good  farmers  in  favor  of  the  JOHN 
DEERE  POLELESS  PLOW,  among  which  may  be  mentioned  the  absence 
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( Wh«n  writing  to  Advcrtiaert.  pImm  Mention  tVe   Eft*.  J